Leaders of labour unions in Abia State have complained of non-payment of the new national minimum wage of N70,000 by the state government to some of their members.
The state chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) stated this during this year’s Labour Day marked on May 1 at the Umuahia Township Stadium, Umuahia, the state capital.
In a joint address, the NLC and the TUC chairmen, Okoro Ogbonnaya and Ihechi Eneogwe, respectively, said the members include environmental health officers, local government health workers, teachers, staff of the state university and other agencies.
They appealed to the governor to extend the wage implementation to the members to address outstanding salary adjustments, resolve discrepancies in teachers’ salaries and involve unions in the health insurance scheme rollout.
In a response, the governor, Alex Otti said his administration had committed N30 billion to offset salary and pension arrears inherited from previous administrations in the past 23 months.
Otti said he was surprised that the work ethics changed drastically during the period, noting that he had long maintained that human beings, especially workers, respond to how they are treated.
“As you may recall, we are coming from a very bad place and had been battling to meet the burden of unpaid salary and pension arrears left by those who came before us.
“I would, however, encourage us to remain hopeful as we work collectively to overcome the current tide of challenges besetting our economy.
“My commitment is that we shall always put you first because you deserve no less. We are eternally grateful for your continuing support and prayers for the administration,” he said.