The Osun State administration has been encouraged by organized labour to implement the N35,000 minimum wage that the federal government recently declared.
The Bola Tinubu-led administration offered multiple palliative packages for workers in an effort to prevent an upcoming walkout by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC.
One of these is the six-month payment of N25,000 to all tiers of low-paid workers.
However, the President increased it to N35,000 for all civil servants for the following six months after receiving significant pressure.
The labor leaders made their demand in a letter to the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Friday. The letter was jointly signed by Modupe Oyedele, the acting state NLC chairman, Bimbo Fasasi, the chairman of the Osun TUC, and Lasun Akindele, the chairman of the Joint Negotiating Council. The letter was addressed to the governor and stated their demand for a higher wage.
They also revealed that a reminder was also sent in July, 2023.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress has directed that all State Councils to immediately engage their respective state governments in effecting the agreed sum of Thirty Five Thousand Naira (N35,000) only wage rewards to all categories of workers across board in the state service.
“Your Excellency will recall that the state Labour Movement had already written to you on the subject matter earlier sometime in the month of June and a follow up reminder was also sent in July to that effect.
“The Labour Movement in the state is not in any way in doubt of Your Excellency’s kind disposition towards the workers in the state. We are confident that worker’s welfare is important and very dear to your heart.
“It is therefore in this spirit that we urge Your Excellency to graciously approve the agreed sum of Thirty-Five Thousand Naira (N35,000) only wage rewards to all categories of workers across board in the state service commencing from the
month of September, 2023 as contained in the signed memorandum of understanding that averted the proposed strike.”
The leadership of the union expressed confidence that the Governor would speedily expedite action on the matter.
Payment of these new wages, the labour leaders insisted, would go a long way in ameliorating and cushioning the hardship workers were going through due to the subsidy removal on petrol with its attendant biting economic effects.
The state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, however, noted that it may be too early to comment on the issue.
“The government will definitely invite the labour leaders for negotiation on the issue,” he revealed.