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The Enugu State Trade Union Congress (TUC) has issued a clarification on the contentious minimum wage issue, disputing a statement attributed to NLC’s Chris Onyeka that Enugu was among the states yet to effect the N30,000 salary increase.
Chris Onyeka, Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, named 14 states that have failed to enact the N30,000 minimum wage, including Abia, Enugu, Bayelsa, Delta, Nasarawa, Gombe, Adamawa, Niger, Sokoto, Imo, Anambra, Taraba, Benue, and Zamfara, in clear violation of the 2019 Minimum Wage Act.
Ben Asogwa, the Enugu State TUC Chairman, pushed back against the claims made by Onyeka, implying that the NLC leader’s words were misconstrued or distorted to implicate Enugu State unfairly.
Read also: Minimum Wage: Ajumbe Slams Labor For ‘Lack of Empathy’
“The payment of N30,000 minimum wage and its consequential adjustment started in February 2020 for all the state workers while the local government workers and primary school teachers were paid with 25 per cent consequential adjustment.
“However, Governor Peter Mbah on assumption of office approved the full implementation for local government workers and primary school teachers.
“Besides that, the Mbah administration has also been paying monthly wage awards of N10,000 to local government workers and primary school teachers and N25,000 to all categories of state workers from December, 2023 till date to cushion the current economic hardship pending the conclusion of negotiation of a new minimum wage.
“The governor recently approved the 100 per cent Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for nurses and midwives and Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals in the state.
“So, nobody is talking about N30,000 minimum wage in Enugu again. We are actually waiting for the conclusion of negotiation of a new minimum wage, which our governor has already assured us that he would key into once the negotiation ends at the federal level.
“In fact, the governor is conveniently disposed to the welfare of workers,” Asogwa said.
Asogwa noted that the governor had a strong commitment to enhancing the working conditions and benefits of employees.
