The Cross River chapter of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) says it will not renegotiate the new N70,000 minimum wage as agreed by labour unions and the federal government.

The state chairman of TUC, Monday Ogbodum, made the declaration in an interview with journalists in Calabar on Tuesday.

Mr Ogbodum said labour unions in Cross River expected the state government to implement the agreed consequential adjustment once the National Salaries and Wages Commission released the table.

He faulted committees set up by some state governments for the implementation of the new wage when the commission was yet to release its table to that effect.

“It is expected that states will commence implementation of the new wage once the commission concludes its work and releases the table on the new wage.

“This is why we have not presented any position on the new minimum wage to Cross River government.

“Once the table is ready and released by the salaries and wages commission, we won’t have anything to renegotiate with the state government,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Cross River government said it was yet to take any position on implementing the new minimum wage.

The Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang, told journalists that the State Executive Council was yet to meet on the minimum wage.

Mr Ekpang said the state government, as a law-abiding one, would not renege on its promises to the workers’ welfare.

“If this same government can increase the minimum wage to N40,000 without any protest or coercion, paying the new wage will be a decision it will take without any difficulty,” he said.

The new minimum wage was recently increased from N30,000 to N70,000 following several months of negotiation between the federal government and labour unions.

However, some states like Ebonyi, Zamfara, Enugu, Gombe, and others have set up a committee to implement the new wage.

(NAN)