BY DAYO JOHNSON

AKURE – WORKERS in Ondo State have agreed to call off their strike action following an agreement with the state government to pay N14, 000 as minimum wage.

This followed six days of negotiations between the government and labour leaders in the state.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Kolawole Olabisi said the Joint Negotiating Council, JNC, and government agreed to the payment of N14, 000 salary relativity to the least paid worker beginning from July 1, 2011.

It further said that the workers also initialled an agreement that the implementation of the N18,000 National Minimum Wage would not commence until an upward review of the Revenue Allocation Formula acceptable to the state government was released by the Federal Government.

The Chairman of JNC, Comrade Solomon Adelegan signed the agreement on behalf of Labour while the State Head of Service, Mr Ajose Kudehinbu appended his signature for the government.

Adelegan, who read the agreement, declared that the workers were suspending the industrial action following an understanding between the two sides that the state finances would not be able to accommodate the payment of the new minimum wage for now.

According to him, “That after going through the facts and figures presented by the government, which tallied with ours own figures, it was clear to the parties that the government cannot afford to pay the new National Minimum Wage of N18,000 for now.