Workers Demand Minimum Wage Implementation

The Enugu State Government has been called upon to impelmenta the N18,000 new minimum wage as approved by the federal government to workers in the state.

Members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (LNC) Enugu State chapter made the call Monday on the occasion of the celebration of this year’s Workers’ Day held at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) state chairman, Comrade Chukwuma Igbokwe, who made it known in an address on the occasion stated that the implementation of the new minimum wage to workers in the state has become necessary in view of the galloping inflation in the country which he attributed to the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government.

While extolling the infrastructural development policy of the state government which they believed had recorded huge success especially in the area of road construction, the NLC lamented that the new minimum wage of N18,000 which has been implemented in most states of the federation is yet to be enjoyed by workers in the state.

According to them, the Enugu State government has continued to rely on its policy of paying N10,000 and N5,000 to workers on levels 01 to 07 and 08 to 17 respectively, “which is not the exact policy of the new minimum wage.”

The Enugu State chapter of NLC further lamented that some parastatals like the State Owned Broadcasting service (ESBS) and the newspaper outfit, the Star Printing and Publishing Company, publishers of the ‘Daily Star’ are being owed arrears of salaries since the past one year, and urged the state government to intervene efforts to offset the backlog of salary arrears.

Also speaking, the head of service, Comrade Nze Dennic Eze, who represented governor Chime at the occasion explained that the state government was doing everything within its available resources to give the best of accommodation to workers in the state.

He, therefore, urged the Enugu State workers to always remain dedicated and service oriented.