Following an ultimatum by workers of the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over non implementation of minimum wage, a committee put in place by the Minister of state, FCT , Hajia Ramatu Tijani have agreed to pay the workers by February ending.
The category of workers are area council workers as well as primary school teachers in the councils.
The committee which is headed by the chairman of Area Councils Service Commission, have the six area council chairmen, NULGE President as well as NUT Chairman all in the FCT as members.
The meeting which held behind closed doors, agreed that since Federal Government workers paid her workers the minimum wage in December, 2019, FCT administration paid her workers in January 2020, the area councils would follow suit by February ending.
Speaking with Blueprint, FCT NULGE president Comrade Abubakar Alhassan said the workers are already placed on red alert should the management fail to pay as promised.
“We have given the councils ultimatum till the end of February 2020 to implement our minimum wage and pay our arrears . A committee was setup by the minister of state FCT for the issue to be discussed, and we had our first meeting last Friday and today we had the second meeting.
“The resolution today is that the minimum wage shall commence by the end of of this month February. The primary school teachers and the area council workers are going to receive their minimum wage.
“Should after the end of the month nothing happen, then we cannot assure them of industrial harmony in the 6 area councils and probably in the primary schools.
“The FG implementation began in December as NLC chairman, i wrote the minister on 7th of January and the FCT administration began it implementation by Second or third week of January when arrears was paid.
“So we expect the area council to queue in immediately, so by end of January they didn’t pay and that’s why we have to come up with this ultimatum that if the FCT administration has paid in January and FG paid in December, what stops the area council from queuing in this February since they didn’t pay us in January”.
Also speaking, chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) , Comrade Stephen Nabayi commended the Minister for her prompt intervention on coming up with the committee.
He said ” the meeting was about the implementation and the payment of arrears of the new national minimum wage. Let me also appreciate the minister of state for FCT for her quick intervention that led to the holding of this meeting where we have resolve just like the union has maintain on the letter that the implementation and payment of this arrears will have to be with effect from this month of February, that is one of the resolution that this meeting has achieved.
They tried to give us some excuses but we maintained our ground because FCT has paid and is a national issue, no one can bend this even though we have different types of government but it is a clear matter.
“We told them clearly even from the letter we wrote that if it is not done this month as discussed in the meeting, we will not guarantee them an industrial harmony and we meant it. But they saw our stance and accepted to go and implement this month”.
