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Minimum Wage: How Governors are Frustrating Our Efforts – Labour Laments

Published by admin on June 11th, 2024.

Minimum Wage: How Governors are Frustrating Our Efforts – Labour Laments

The Organized Labour has expressed concern that certain state governors are hindering the negotiation process with the Federal Government regarding the new minimum wage.

Benson Upah, the Head of Information at the NLC, shared these views during an interview on Arise TV on Monday. He remarked, “We are aware of the governors causing these issues— there are about five of them. These governors have ill intentions and are complicating the negotiation process. While the Federal Government has agreed to a slight increase to N62,000, these governors are resisting even the initial N60,000 proposal, which is an act of bad faith given the financial data against them.

“It is evident that the allocation from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has increased from N700 billion to N1.2 trillion, indicating that states have more resources now.”

Upah further cautioned that managing the discontent of organized labour is simpler compared to that of the general populace. He emphasized that the issue is not about labour being uncooperative but about pursuing a reasonable and practical solution. He noted, “The dissatisfaction of Labour is easier to handle than the potential unrest among the wider Nigerian public, for whom we are advocating.

“If the situation forces Nigerians into a desperate struggle for survival, everyone will be affected. We may soon reach a point where stepping outside becomes a risk, as societal instability grows,” he warned.

Last Tuesday, Organized Labour temporarily suspended its nationwide strike for five days to facilitate continuous discussions with the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, announced that the Federal Government is willing to pay more than the N60,000 minimum wage.

Nevertheless, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), representing the 36 state governors, has argued that the proposed N60,000 minimum wage is unsustainable and cannot be implemented.