The Anambra State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a 14 days ultimatum to the State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, over the non-payment of the new minimum wage, threatening total shutdown of the state.

In a communique issued Tuesday at the end of its State Executive Council meeting over the non-payment of the new minimum wage, the state chapter of NLC accused Governor Obiano of not implementing the agreed template his administration reached with Organised Labour.

It expressed disappointment over the development.

The communique was jointly signed by the Chairman of Joint Negotiations Council (JNC); Benson Jibike, Chairman of Anambra State chapter of NLC; Jerry Nnubia, Chairman of Anambra State Trade Union Congress (TUC); Ifeanyi Okechukwu, Acting Secretary of JNC/Secretary of Anambra State Civil Service of Nigeria, Barr. Alex Ebi; and Secretary of Nigerian Union Local Government Employees (NULGE, Netufo Segun.

It said: “We are not happy with the government’s non-implementation of the minimum wage and will proceed on industrial action after the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum if nothing is done to implement the agreed template.”

According to the chairman of JNC, agreement was reached with government on January 24, 2020, on the new minimum wage increment, but “surprisingly workers received their January salaries without the reflection of the agreed scale increment.”

On his part, the Chairman of State NLC, Nnubia, said they did not believe that government had paid them the new minimum wage, rather what it did was just like giving bonuses to workers.

“Before any new salary adjustment, there must be circular and we did not see any.

“Government just added two and five thousand naira on the salary, and it called it new minimum wage without telling us how it came about the increment. We still believe what government added in the January salary was bonus and not new minimum wage implementation,” Nnubia added.

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