The Organised Labour in Abia State, on Sunday, decided to suspended its seven-day strike ultimatum it issued to the state government, scheduled to begin today (Monday).
The union's strike action was prompted by the government's refusal to convene for a dialogue over the payment of the expired N30,000 minimum wage and the N35,000 palliative wage award, as approved by the Federal Government.
Governor Alex Otti had met with representatives of the state's organized labor, but he had also directed the state Accountant General to work with the union to reconcile the actual amount that the state's lowest-paid worker should earn as minimum wage, among other difficulties.
Comrade Ogbonnaya Okoro, the state NLC Chairman, claimed that the government is now paying N20,100 while local government workers earn N18,000 as the minimum salary.
However, the governor stated that records accessible to him revealed that the state was paying the N30,000 minimum wage.
Otti stated during the meeting, "The state has been preparing itself for the implementation of the new national minimum wage."
Addressing the press on Sunday evening, Okoro warned the state government that if the Memorandum of Understanding established at the conference was not adhered to and implemented by July 28, the union would go on indefinite strike.
He said no other notice would be given to the government to proceed on strike.
Okoro gave the details of the agreement reached with the government to include the payment of the outdated N30,000 minimum wage and the N35,000 palliative wage award as approved by the
Federal Government, payment of severance allowances to Directors and Permanent Secretaries compulsorily retired, payment of current leave allowances and payment of three months N15,000 monthly wage award from July to September 2024.
He also said the union advised the state government to look inwards on the payment of gratuity.
