From Steve Oko, Umuahia
After months of negotiations, the Abia State Government has finally agreed to pay N30,100 as minimum wage to its workers.
The truce was reached yesterday during a parley between government and the organized labour.
Both parties resolved that the agreement “shall have binding force on the Abia state government and the organized labour in the state.”
The agreement was signed by representatives of both teams at the parley.
Government team included the Head of service, Sir Onyii Wamah; the Commissioner of Finance, Dr Aham Uko; and the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr Anthony Agbazuere.
The organised labour was represented by the Chairman, Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, comrade Chris Okoro; the Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Abia State, Comrade Uchenna Obigwe; the Trade Union Congress, TUC Chairman, Comrade Sunny Onwuma; and the State President , Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Comrade Nwaigwe Kennedy.
Meanwhile, the organized labour after the negotiation with the government, accepted the table and its consequential adjustments in the new minimum wage.
Later in an interview, Chairman, Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, Comrade Chris Okoro, said the new minimum wage would take effect from January 2020.
He added that arreas would be paid from from April, 2019.
