Calabar, Nigeria – Governor Bassey Otu has approved N70,000 minimum wage for Cross River State workers.
Converseer reports that the State Government reached an agreement with Organised Labour regarding the payment of the new national minimum wage on December 1, at the Governor’s temporary office in Calabar.
The agreement includes a consequential adjustment across all levels, effective from December 1, 2024.
Recall that Governor Otu was the first governor to increase the minimum wage from N30,000 to N40,000 in May 2024. It was also part of the Governor’s celebration of the 2024 Workers’ Day.
When President Bola Tinubu approved N70,000 as a new national minimum wage in July 2024, it became a problem for Otu to implement it in the state.
Almost five months later, the Governor set up a committee on the implementation of the national minimum wage.
Recall that the Organised Labour embarked on a two-day warning strike from November 25 and 26, after a meeting with the Minimum Wage Implementation Committee ended in deadlock.
Today, Sunday, December 1, 2024, the Governor held another meeting with Organised Labour, announcing N70,000 as the minimum wage for workers in the state.
Converseer further reports that the Organised Labour in the state in Bulletin 5, had earlier declared an indefinite strike starting on Monday, December 2, 2024.
The Bulletin read: “Recall that from Monday, November 25th to Tuesday, November 26, 2024, workers proceeded on a two-day warning strike after what it termed “government’s poor attitude” towards negotiating the New National Minimum Wage and the Consequential Adjustments.
“Recall also that National Labour had given November 30, 2024, as the deadline for all defaulting states to commence implementation, failing which should result in the commencement of a TOTAL indefinite strike from Monday, December 2, 2024.
“Whereas the two-day warning strike was to pave the way for negotiations and whereas government attitude towards negotiations and the consequential adjustment has not significantly changed, ALL WORKERS ARE THEREFORE, CALLED UPON TO PROCEED ON INDEFINITE STRIKE FROM MONDAY DECEMBER 2, 2024 IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE NATIONAL DIRECTIVE FOR FAILURE TO IMPLEMENT THE NEW NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE IN THE STATE.
“Stay at home until you hear from us! Injury to one, Injury to all.”