Minimum Wage: Eze Njoku admonishes FG, States over worker’s salary

Against the backdrop of controversy trailing the proposed new minimum wage packages as demanded by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), first class monarch in Imo State, His Royal Highness Eze Edward Ahumaraezeama Njoku has tasked both the Federal and State government to be more proactive and facilitate a harmonoius working relationship with the workforce in order to avert future industrial action.
Eze Njoku, the ‘Enyi 1’ of Umuenyi autonomous community in Isiala Mbano local government area who made the declaration during a press chat in his office, identified labour strike to be an ill – wind that blows no good to the nation at any point in time. He opined, that governors should handle matters about workers with utmost care in respective States.
The royal father, industrialist and chief executive officer (CEO) of Owerri based Eddy Brown Electonics Nigeria Limited, submitted that relationship between the leaders and workers requires application of wisdom for peace, equity and justice to riegn supreme.
He stressed that as an employer of labour, several factors must be considered in the areas of credntials, skill, modalities and amount payable as wages among others before engaging the sevices of any individual. “As an emloyer of labour, if I want to recruite workers,.I will consider the above stated and select those that I can pay, discuss modalities and then pay them as at when do”, Eze Njoku stated
While urging the government at all strata to always consider the plight of workers bearing in mind that a labourer should receive his wages, the custodian of peace reiterated that the ugly trend necessited the agitation.for resource control and restructuring of the nation for States to have the opportunity to pay own workers with ease.
Continuing, the Monarch appealed to the labour union to soft peddal, noting that the N30, 000 pay package may not be quite easy to let out, rior to the down trend in the nation’s economy and finally recommended that only peaceful negotiation amidst cordial working relationship can restore stability in the nation.
Consequently, the respected traditional ruler used the oportunity and appealed to the Federal Government to checkmate the incident of crime wave and handle security challanges across the country with care.
While disclosing that the witnessing security situation or crises is not only peculiar to Nigeria alone, the royal father oberved that such a great nation like United States of America is still embattled with the same security challenges. He therefore advised the Federal Government to attach priority attention to security affairs and save the nation from unwarranted doom.