Governors can no longer pay N18,000 minimum wage,Labour threatens to shut down the country

State governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum have said that they can no longer pay the N18,000 minimum wage. According to them, the minimum wage was imposed on them when oil sold for $126 as against the present price of $41 per barrel.

This was one of the outcomes of the forum’s meeting held on Wednesday evening inside the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The meeting ended in the early hours of Thursday.

The NGF Chairman, Abdul’aziz Yari of Zamfara State, said the way out of the situation was the diversification of the economy with attention to agriculture and mining.

The governor said, “We resolved that we must look at ways to enhance revenue generation and at the same time look at ways to cut our overhead costs, more especially the political office holders’ salaries and other overhead expenses.

In their reaction, leaders of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, warned that if the governors wanted workers to shut down the nation because of the issue, workers would gladly do so, saying “the governors should not think the Nigerian workers do not have the capacity to retrench them.”
Factional President of NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, said:

“We reject it totally. Nigerian workers will never accept it. We all know that it is a reality that N18,000 can no longer take the workers home and cannot sustain any family. Many countries are reviewing their minimum wage upwards to meet the current realities. In Nigeria, there is even greater need to increase the minimum wage because our currency had been devalued; inflation keeps rising among others.

“What is the relation of the Nigerian currency to the Dollar or what is value of the N18,000 to the Dollar? We are going to reject the move with all our might. We are not the cause of the problem. They should think out of the box to find solution to the problem.  When there was excess crude money, the workers did not benefit and so, we cannot bear the brunt. If the governors want us to close down the country, we will do that.

“What about their outrageous salaries, bloated overhead cost, inflated contracts and others?  NLC is meeting tomorrow (today) on the organ of the Central Working Committee, CWC. This issue is going to feature prominently and we are going to come with a strong statement on it.  Obviously we cannot bear the brunt. They governors should think  how to generate revenue instead of depending on oil money and allocation from Abuja.

“The governors should know that the N18,000 minimum wage was not just negotiated, it was a product of a tripartite process involving the governors, employers and organised labour. It passed through the National Assembly before former President Jonathan signed it into law. If any party wants to breach or renege on such agreement, they should be prepared for the consequences.

“We know there are challenges, but the governors should face reality. The problem is the cost of governance and too many frivolities. Today, with crazy bills from electricity providers, increase in fuel price, school fees, hospital bills, and other utilities, N18,000 cannot take any worker to the bus stop. We want to know their salaries as approved by the Revenue and Fiscal Mobilisation Commission, that of their commissioners, advisers and others, their security votes and others.

Punch & Vanguard