The Cross River Government has handed a four-week period to the Joint Public Service Negotiating and Implementation Committee for the N70,000 Minimum Wage to conclude its assignment.
The Commissioner for Information, Dr Erasmus Ekpang, who disclosed this in an interview in Calabar on Monday, said that the committee, inaugurated on Monday and chaired by the Head of Service, Dr Innocent Eteng, should agree on modalities to fashion out an acceptable minimum wage for the state civil servants.
Ekpang, however, said that the new wage that would be agreed upon should be such that would not hurt the state revenue.
“The governor has always maintained his desire to make the state workers happy by enhancing their welfare and working environment.
“The negotiation for the new minimum wage is to be concluded within the next four weeks and this is one of such moves.
“However, what will be agreed on and it’s implementation by the committee will be one that will not affect the smooth running of the government or other sectors of the state economy.”
Gov. Bassey Otu constituted a 16-member committee to negotiate a new minimum wage with labour in the state.
The membership of the committee included Mr Gregory Olayi and Monday Ogbodum as well as the Chairmen of the Nigerian Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress.