By Victor Ogunje
The members of the organised labour unions in Ekiti State, yesterday rejected the withdrawal of minimum wage and consequential adjustment on the salaries of workers by the state government.
They also kicked against the removal of subventions to some schools in Ekiti.
Critical stakeholders that comprised of the representatives of the state government that led by the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, traditional rulers, workers and organised labour had met a couple of weeks and discussed the dwindling revenues to the state.
Fayemi at the meeting submitted that the state government was finding it extremely difficult to pay workers’ salaries owing to the fall in revenues from the federation account to the state.
Part of the resolution reached at the meeting was the outright removal of the N30,000 minimum wage and consequential adjustment effected for workers last year, so that the government can revert to the N18,000 minimum wage.
But the workers have described the actions as unacceptable in a statement that was jointly signed by Mr. Kolapo Olatunde, Mr. Sola Adigu and Mr. Kayode Fatomiluyi, Chairmen of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress and the Joint Negotiating Council, respectively.
The statement said: “The organised labour in Ekiti State met today with Govern Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State on the state of the economy in the state.
“We expressed the position of the entire workforce to Mr. Governor that workers of Ekiti State rejected any withdrawal of minimum wage and consequential adjustment payment of the state, which is a product of a process that has been signed into law.
“In the same vein, the organised labour rejected any stoppage of subventions to all the subvented institutions in Ekiti State.
“Also, the state organised labour viewed any attempt under any guise to further impoverish the living standard of workers and all vulnerable groups in Ekiti State as inhuman and unacceptable”.
To this end, the organised labour advocated for the inclusion of GL 13- GL 17 in the implementation of the consequential adjustment payment among other arrears of workers welfare.
The leadership of the labour union promised the entire workers that “there is no way we will comprise on the welfare of workers in the state, hence, workers should be rest assured of our commitment at all time to their yearnings and aspirations.”
