Our reporter/ In a move to improve the welfare of workers in the state, the Imo State Government has approved an increase in the minimum wage from ₦70,000 to ₦104,000.
Governor Hope Uzodimma made the announcement during a crucial meeting with labour leaders at the Government House in Owerri, the state capital.
It is a crucial issue between the state government and representatives of organised labour in the state.
The governor also announced the approval of ₦16 billion for the immediate clearance of all outstanding gratuities owed to pensioners in the state.
The gesture attracted commendation from the labour leaders who sang solidarity songs.
They described it as a historic step towards improving the lives of workers and retirees in the state.
Present at the meeting were the state NLC Chairman, Uche Chigemezu, the state Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Uchenna Ibe, the state Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Josiah Ugochukwu, and the state Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Barth Echeta.
In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu signed the minimum wage bill into law, ending months of deliberations between government authorities, labour unions, and the private sector.
He signed it at the State House in Abuja days after the National Assembly passed the Minimum Wage Act, 2019, to increase the National Minimum Wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000.
However, some state governors increased the minimum wage for civil servants in their respective states.
In October 2024, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced that the state would pay ₦85,000 as minimum wage to its workers, ₦15,000 higher than the ₦70,000 approved by the Federal Government in July 2024.
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