The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed state councils to await directive to engage state governors who fails to meet the Dec. 31 deadline implementation of the minimum wage. It promised industrial unrest in such states.

The NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba said this in a New Year message on Tuesday in Abuja.

“We use this medium to implore states that are yet to implement the new national minimum wage including the states that are yet to begin negotiation with labour on the consequential wage adjustment to speedily do the needful.

“In tandem with our position as adopted and communicated after a stakeholders’ meeting on Dec. 11, 2019, organised labour will not guarantee industrial harmony in states that fail to implement the new national minimum wage by Dec. 31, 2019.

“We direct our state councils to be on the standby to robustly engage state governments that fail to obey our laws.

“We wish to remind State Governors that no excuse would be good enough for failure to pay.

“The ongoing revelations on the monumental looting perpetrated by former governors prove that only an intent to loot and deadened conscience, not availability of resources, would be the reason any Governor would hesitate to pay workers the N30,000 new national minimum wage and the consequential adjustment in salaries.

“The new national minimum wage is now a law and State Governors do not have the luxury to choose whether to pay or not,” he said.

Wabba said in the year 2020, the NLC would mount a very robust campaign for the generation of mass jobs and for already existing jobs to be decent.

He disclosed that the NLC was perfecting plans for a National Job Summit in 2020.

“Where it will get stakeholders, experts, policymakers, concerned demographics and workers on a roundtable to find answers and solutions to Nigeria’s burgeoning unemployment crisis.

“We also commend the states already paying the new national minimum wage and consequential adjustment in salaries for assuming the pacesetter status,” he added.

The NLC president said the congress have resolved to protect, promote and prioritize workers’ and pensioners welfare as it would be indefatigable.

He also said that the congress would continue to be the voice for the oppressed and downtrodden.

“We will dare the enemies of Nigerian workers and people and we will triumph by the grace of God. Nigerian workers under the leadership of the NLC will continue to work assiduously towards the promotion of national security, peace and unity.

“We will continue to put the needed weight on the things that unite us and hold in contempt the things that seek to divide us.

“We encourage our political leaders to exemplify the same by their utterances and conduct. By so doing, we will be laying an enduring foundation for national peace, unity, and development,” Wabba said. (NAN)