The Abia chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says the State government commenced the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage in 2019.

The state chairman of the union, Uchenna Obigwe, said this at a news briefing in Umuahia on Saturday.

Mr Obigwe spoke in the wake of a recent media report in which the national leadership of NLC allegedly listed Abia as one of the states that had yet to implement the minimum wage.

He said: “Abia Government in 2019, in conjunction with the organised labour, set up a Minimum Wage Committee with the then State Chairman of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, Chris Okoro, as the Chairman.

“The committee sat severally and midwifed the N30,000 minimum wage for the state, which by all ramifications was and is still the best in the South-East.

“What Ebonyi workers are presently taking is what Abia workers took as minimum wage in 2011 and Anambra only added N3,000 to its 2011 minimum wage.

“Enugu State just added N4,000 to its 2011 minimum wage and just recently started paying 60 per cent CONHESS and CONMESS to its health workers in 2021.

“Imo has yet to do anything on the issue of 2019 minimum wage of N30,000. Abia Government has fully implemented the CONHESS and CONMESS to health workers.

“It is therefore surprising and preposterous to say that Abia has not implemented the 2019 minimum wage,” the labour leader said.

Mr Obigwe, therefore, urged the national leadership of NLC “to encourage Abia Government to do more for its workers, instead of presenting wrong information about the state”.

(NAN)