By Ike Uchechukwu
Organised Labour in Cross River State says they will not guarantee industrial harmony from Wednesday if the state government fails to concretise plans to implement the new national minimum wage of N70,000.
Labour made the disclosure after they staged a walkout on a scheduled meeting with the Joint Public Service Negotiating and Implementation Committee on the new minimum wage.
The committee which is chaired by the State Head of Service, Innocent Eteng, also has representatives of the various labour unions, including Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Speaking in Calabar on the reason for the walkout, chairman of the TUC in Cross River, Monday Ogbodum said that the government appeared not to be committed to the implementation of the new wage.
Ogbodum stressed that it was labour’s positon that had earlier forced the government to set up the committee.
Ogbodum said: “From the loom of things, this same committee seems not ready for anything. We have heard from grapevine that the government is not looking at commencing implementation until January 2025.
“We have a directive from our national leadership that the implementation of the new wage of from October.
“Our worry is that the Cross River governor was a member of this committee that gave birth to the new wage.
“He was South South representative in that committee and he is the one lagging behind while other states have already made pronouncement on this new wage to the workers.
“Before now, he has assured us that he implement whatever that is agreed upon. As we speak, there is Joint seriousness that the government is ready for the workers.”
Also speaking, the NLC chairman in the state, Gregory Olayi said that labour staged a walkout because the government representative in the committee appeared not serious .
He said aside the fact that the government had not put anything in the table, the government representative seems not to be acting on the mandate of the governor.
“In our last meeting on Thursday, they formed a technical committee which we had expected, will come with something for us to discuss with.
“They came empty and unprepared from the look of things ans we had tonstage a walkout until they are prepared for us,” he said.
Speaking further , Olayi said that labour is meeting with all its organs in Cross River on Tuesday and whatever decision of the organs are will be followed.
“We had on Thursday given them (Government) a 7-day ultimatum which expires Monday midnight.
“We will be meeting with all the organs and whatever decision taken will we all see to it after the meeting on Tuesday, Olayi noted.