By Nudoiba Ojen
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has called on the government and organised labour to come up with a minimum wage that is sustainable in the ongoing negotiations.
The NGF, which made the call in a communique issued at the end of its virtual meeting and signed by its Chairman and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, assured labour of governors’ commitment to pay the workers an improved wage.
But the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, in response, have warned the state governors against defaulting on the new minimum wage that would be approved during the ongoing negotiations.
The two labour organisations, the NLC and the TUC have recently presented a proposal of N615,000 minimum wage to the committee.
The NGF, in its statement, said it was assessing each state government’s fiscal capacity and the potential effects of different proposals to determine an enhanced minimum wage that could be sustained by the states.
The communique read in part “The forum celebrates with workers across the country for their dedication to service and patience as we work with the Federal Government, labour, organised private sector and relevant stakeholders in arriving at an implementable national minimum wage.
“While we acknowledge various initiatives adopted of recently by way of wage awards and partial wage adjustments, it is imperative to state that the 37-member tripartite committee inaugurated on the National Minimum Wage, is still in consultation and yet to conclude its work.
“As members of the committee, we are reviewing our individual fiscal space as state governments and the consequential impact of various recommendations, to arrive at an improved minimum wage we can pay sustainably. We remain committed to the process and promise that better wages will be the invariable outcome of ongoing negotiations.”
But the TUC Vice President, Tommy Etim, argued that the new minimum wage would be binding on the governors.
“Governors increasing wages are taking individual decisions as the new minimum wage hasn’t been drafted. What will be binding on governors is what is agreed upon at the federal level and that is why governors are on the committee,’’ he said.
On when the committee would meet following its inability to reach a consensus last Monday, a top official of the NLC, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, said, “There is no fixed date yet for the meeting between the minimum wage committee and the Federal Government.”
According to him, the labour unions have placed their demand of N615,000 as the new minimum wage and are expecting an offer from the Federal Government.
The source added, “The unions have also demanded that the new Act should have a two-year life with an agreement for automatic adjustment in wages any time inflation exceeds 7.5 per cent.
“We have also demanded that every employer with up to five workers in his employ shall pay the new minimum wage and have asked for the strengthening of monitoring and compliance mechanisms to penalise non-complying state governments and organisations.”
