In a significant move to prevent an impending indefinite strike, the Zamfara State Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday evening, agreeing to implement the N70,000 minimum wage for state workers.
The agreement follows several rounds of negotiations between state government representatives and NLC officials.
The signing of the MoU came after intense talks, addressing not only the minimum wage but also other labour-related concerns, including improved welfare packages for state employees. NLC Chairman in the state, Sani Haliru, confirmed that the planned industrial action had been suspended, describing the agreement as a victory for workers’ rights. He praised Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration for its willingness to engage in dialogue and prioritize the welfare of state workers.
Haliru noted, “If you can see all our circulars, it states that a state where there is no implementation or agreement signed, there’s a commitment, but we all witnessed what happened here tonight. Even the state governor is inside his office waiting for the outcome of this meeting.”
The MoU guarantees the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage, with full enforcement set to begin in March 2025. This delay, according to the Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Nakwada, is due to the ongoing verification of the state’s workforce to ensure payroll alignment with the nominal role. Nakwada confirmed that over 50% of the verification process had been completed.
“The implementation date is set for March 2025. The reason for this timeline is that we have a committee working on verifying the entire state workforce. We want to align the nominal role with the payroll so that it balances,” Nakwada said. “We are almost over 50% done with that process, and we are confident that no strike will occur. This is the assurance we received from the labour unions during our meeting.”
The state government has committed to fostering a harmonious relationship with labour unions, and Nakwada expressed satisfaction with the successful negotiations, stating, “No victor, no vanquished.” He also emphasized the administration’s commitment to the timely implementation of the agreed wage increase and the overall improvement of workers’ welfare.
The planned strike had been set to commence on Tuesday, as Zamfara was one of the 12 states identified by the NLC’s national body for industrial action due to non-implementation of the new national minimum wage, which had been approved by the federal government. However, with the MoU signed, the threat of an indefinite strike has been effectively averted.
