ALMAGALMATED Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, AUPCTRE, has blamed states for the wave of industrial unrest over the N18.000 new minimum wage in most states, lamenting that the industrial action is avoidable.

At the end of its National Executive Council, NEC, meeting, leaders of AUPCTRE, in a communiqué argued that the state governments were represented at the tripartite Committee and made suggestions on what should be the quantum of a new National Minimum Wage.

The communiqué by the Acting General Secretary, Comrade Phillip Agbonkonkon, said the NEC noted that all the Governors were party to the approval of the National Minimum Wage at the level of Council of State meeting early in the year and were expected to accommodate the implementation without crises in their 2011 budgets.

It said “In the circumstances, the NEC supports the position of the NLC on the modalities for a meaningful implementation of the National Minimum Wage in the States Public Services.”