BY PETER OKUTU

ABAKALIKI-ORGANIZED labour in Ebonyi State, Wednesday, suspended its industrial action which had lasted one month to press home demands for the full implementation of the new minimum wage for workers in the state.

At a news conference in Abakaliki, Acting Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Ebonyi State, Comrade Boniface Igweonu, stated that the decision was to allow the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and the state government resolve the controversies surrounding the implementation of the new minimum wage for workers in the state.

Igweonu said if CAN and the state government were unable to come to agreement over the implementation of the new wage, workers would have no choice

but to continue the industrial action.

“We met with the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and they asked us to suspend the strike for three weeks because they were going to meet with government to make sure that workers of Ebonyi State got what they wanted. Based on that, we have called on the to suspend the strike and wait on us for three weeks. Before the expiration of three weeks, we believe that this impasse would have been settled.

“We are only suspending the strike and if after the three weeks nothing positive happens, we will call the workers out again and the strike will resume.”

According to the labour leader, the point of controversies surrounding the implementation of the new wage bordered on state government’s preparation of their own wage table, contrary to what the Federal

Government had prescribed in the Minimum Wage Act of 2011.

“The point of controversy is the N18,000 minimum wage and that is what we are demanding. It should be based on Federal Government’s table but the state government prepared its own table. We told government that it is not acceptable.

“Our call on government is for them to listen to CAN and then accept us as their subjects. We are not out to destroy government but that the living standard of workers be improved in the state”

In his own views, Chairman of CAN in the state, Rev Emmanuel Nshii expressed optimism that within three issues surrounding the implementation of the new wage would be have been settled.

“We want Ebonyi to progress. Anything that stiffens the workforce retards the movement of the state. We have been contributing our altruistic services and we believe that our effort will be accepted. And we believe that with God we can serve to the best of our abilities.”