The Nigeria labour Congress (NLC) national leadership have threatened to shutdown Zamfara State Government for non compliance in paying the constitutional National minimum wage of Thirty Thousand Naira (N30,000)
In a letter signed by the National President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said, Zamfara State is the only state all over the federation that refused to implement the National minimum wage which was duly signed into law since April, 2019.
“We find the refusal of Zamfara State Government to pay the national minimum wage to all category of workers in the state as an affront to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which your Excellency swore to protect “
“the national minimum wage law is a Creation of the second schedule of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, like every other law, it is incumbent on all to respect and adhere to its provisions especially those occupying elected public offices who are morally expected to show public example of being law-abiding. Unfortunately this is not the case in political leadership in Zamfara which under your administration has chosen to trample underfoot a law as important as national minimum wage act” the statement read in part
The national president who went on remind the state government on the consequences of the failure to implement the National minimum wage said, “section 10 and 14 of the national minimum wage act, 2019 went to prescribe other penalties violations including additional penalty not exceeding N10,000 for each day the violation persists”
Mr Ayuba Wabba who addressed the letter to Zamfara State Governor Bello Muhammed Matawalle and copied to Inspector General of Police; Director General, state Security services; Commissioner of Police, Zamfara State Command; Director SSS, Zamfara State; President, trade Union Congress; State Chairman NLC and the Media lamented that, in few years back, Zamfara State Government was the first state all over the federation to implement the N5500 national minimum wage which the then government paid N6800 which above the national minimum wage, saying now “the reverse is the case” as some of the state workers earn as low as N8000 as monthly salary which he described as very rediculous wages.
“In support of the 21 day Ultimatum by workers in Zamfara State for the government to uffset the arrears of the national minimum wage owed them, we urge the state government to use this window to redeem itself. Open expiration of this window, the Congress will mobilize workers all over Nigeria to storm Zamfara State in solidarity industrial actions with Zamfara State workers”
SMARTS NEWS recalled that, the Zamfara State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, had on 16th September, 2022 issued a 21 day Ultimatum to the state government to implement the National minimum wage which will expire on the 6th October, 2022.
