refore, unacceptable.
The Chairman of the NLC in Anambra State, Mr. Jerry Nnubia, said in Awka on Tuesday that the minimum wage approved by the Council of State was against the principle of collective bargaining.
He said that the labour leadership expected the approval of N30, 000 recommended by the tripartite committee that handled the issue, adding that the council did not have the locus to change the content of the agreement.
He said the Federal Government should not encourage state governors to cheat Nigerian workers, who also go to the same markets as federal workers.
“What is announced as minimum wage is unacceptable; how can they approve different minimum wages for federal workers and state workers, when they all go to the same market.
“In labour matters, there are institutions that are parties to negotiations and Council of State is not one of them; let the minimum wage of N30, 000 be approved, there are states that are willing to pay more than that amount.
“State governors are not the owners of their states and the Federal Government should not encourage them to hold us to ransom,’’ he said.
Nnubia said that the labour movement may be forced to apply the last tool of negotiation and shut down the country if the new differential minimum wage announced was not rescinded.
“May be they want to shut down the country; we will help them and workers should not be blamed for it.
“We have an emergency council meeting on Friday and after that the national labour movement will take a stand on the matter,” he added.
The new minimum wage as approved by the National Council of State on Tuesday was announced by Labour and Employment Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige, at the end of the meeting in Abuja.