The Ebonyi State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced a one-week warning strike, set to commence at midnight on December 1, 2024, in protest against what it described as the improper implementation of the minimum wage by Governor Francis Nwifuru.
Addressing journalists in Abakaliki on Sunday, the state NLC Chairman, Prof. Egwu Ogugua, said the industrial action was necessary due to the perceived lack of fairness in the implementation of the wage increment. Ogugua criticized the N40,000 increment for workers on grade levels 3 and above as inadequate and rejected the selective application of the new wage.
Governor Nwifuru had previously announced a N75,000 minimum wage for workers on grade levels 1 and 2 and a N40,000 adjustment for levels 3 to 16 during a government house church service on October 27, 2024. However, the labor union argued that this unilateral decision bypassed traditional procedures, including consequential adjustments and a signed agreement between the government and workers.
Ogugua further alleged that the salary structure imposed on workers failed to reflect meaningful progression, leaving their take-home pay stagnant. He lamented that the Minimum Wage Implementation Committee, which had finalized a salary chart with proper adjustments, was sidelined in the governor’s announcement.
“All efforts by the Chairman of the Committee you set up to present the agreed salary chart to you have been ignored,” Ogugua stated, adding that attempts to engage the governor, including an appeal on November 27, 2024, were met with outright rejection.
The warning strike aligns with a directive issued by the national body of the NLC on November 8, 2024, mandating state councils in non-compliant states to take action. The Ebonyi NLC maintained that it would not back down until a proper minimum wage implementation was achieved, urging the governor to reconsider his stance and align with the needs of the workers as outlined in his “People’s Charter of Needs” mantra.
The strike is expected to disrupt public services across the state as workers protest for fair treatment and improved welfare.
