We won't renegotiate minimum wage in C' River, TUC

Ndifereke BASSEY

The Cross River chapter of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) says it will not renegotiate the N70, 000 new minimum wage as agreed by both the government and labour unions and assented to by President Bola Tinubu.

The state chairman of the TUC, Mr Monday Ogbodum, who stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar, said labour in Cross River expects the government to implement immediately the agreed consequential adjustment that will be released by the National Salaries and Wages Commission.

Ogbodum who faulted committees being set up by various states on the issue, wondered where the state that have started implementation of the new wage got their table from.

"It is expected that states will commence implementation of the new wage once the national salaries and wages commission concluded their work and release the table on the consequential adjustment on the new wage. This is why we have not presented any positon on the new minimum wage in Cross River to the government.

"Once the table is ready and released by the salaries and wages commission, we won't have anything to renegotiate with the government here, he stated.

Reacting, the state Commissioner for information, Dr Erasmus Ekpang, said the Cross River government is yet to take any position on the implementation of the new minimum wage, hinting that the government, as a law abiding one, will not renege on it promises on workers welfare.

"If this same government can increase the minimum wage to.N40, 000 without any protest or coercion, paying the new wage will be a decision it will take without any difficulty," he said.

It will be recalled that the new minimum wage was recently increased from N30,000 to.N70, 000 following several months of negotiation between the government and labour unions in the country. Some states like Ebonyi, Zamfara, Enugu, Gombe and others have set up a committee for the implementation of the new wage.