Wages Award: Organised Labour Singles Out 4 States as Worst Culprits

• The TUC has listed four states in Nigeria that have not been doing anything to alleviate the pains of workers and masses in the face of economic challenges in their states
• Comrade Festus Osifo, the president of the TUC, lamented that some states in the Nigeria Delta are doing little or nothing despite receiving huge allocation
• Osifo expressed disappointment that Delta state gets fat shares of the federal allocation but has done nothing in terms of wages or palliatives

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has said that President Bola Tinubu may not announce a new minimum wage in May.

This is as the union expressed its displeasure with the non-completion of the ongoing negotiation on a new minimum wage for the workers. It then urged the federal government to move quickly.

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Why Tinubu may not announce new minimum in May

According to The Punch, Comrade Festus Osifo, the TUC president, disclosed the development at a press conference on Thursday, April 25, at the end of the National Executive Council meeting of the union.

Osifo said it was unclear if President Bola Tinubu's administration would implement a new minimum wage before the end of May.

The TUC president also lamented that some states in the Niger Delta region received huge sums of money from the federal government but have refused to pay wages award or palliative to workers in their states.

Four states not paying wages, palliatives

According to the TUC, Delta, Imo, Anambra, and Benue are the worst culprits.

He recalled how their agitations started in October 2023, when they first engaged the federal government, and how this led to the signing of the communique.

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Osifo emphasised that the palliative and wages are temporary solutions. He said that was why the union was negotiating for robust and long-term solutions.

His statement reads in part:

"The state of Imo and the same thing Delta. Delta tops the list of states that collect fat allocation from the Federation Account. Delta is number one on that list. It is surprising to know that the Delta State governor is doing nothing to uplift the plight of workers."

Source: Legit.ng