New Minimum Wage Not Binding On States: Governors

Kayode
Kayode Fayemi

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has said that the new minimum wage, which was agreed upon between the federal government and organised labour, is not binding on state governments.

Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti state and chairman of the forum, said this while briefing reporters at the end of a meeting of the 36 governors on Monday, in Abuja.

Meanwhile, the federal executive council (FEC) directed Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, to effect the payment of N30,000 new minimum wage before December.

Fayemi, while speaking with the journalists said:

“I am sure you know the FEC does not determine what happens in the states, the states have their own states executive councils and that is the highest decision-making body at the state level,” he said.

“The forum (NGF) as the representative body of the states followed what happened in the negotiations that transpired. As far as we are concerned, the best that the forum can do is stick to what has been agreed with states.”

He added that the state governments have accepted the N30,000 new minimum wage, each will negotiate with its workers on the implementation and the consequential adjustments.

“States were part of the tripartite negotiation and agreed to N30,000 minimum wage. But states also know there will be consequential adjustments. That would be determined by what happened on a state-by-state basis because there are different numbers of workers at the state level, there are different issues at the state level,” he said.

“Every state has its own trade union, with a negotiating committee and they would undertake this discussion with their state government. That is simply what we have said.

“The day after the agreement was reached with labour, I was on record on Channels TV, and I made the position of the states clear that for us, we have always been clear that this was a national minimum wage increase, not a general minimum wage review.

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“So to that extent, we do not want the media to confuse issues about a national minimum wage increase. And yes that may necessitate consequential increment and we do not doubt that. But that is a matter for the states to discuss with their workers.”

”Every state has its own trade union, with a negotiating committee and they would undertake this discussion with their state governments. That is simply what we have said.”

1 COMMENT

  1. don’t mind that man at all. the NGF is nothing else than a monster assigned or delegated to keep and supress workers to unending sorrow, torture, affliction and denial of meaningful living. they have forgotten or not known that God fights and take vengeance for the weak. decide whatever you want to pay your workers , deny or cheat them under whatever guise or reason or excuse , God remains God on the throne as the Avenger and Greatest Judge. do the governors forget that all workers in Nigeria buy in the same market, pay the same for social services etc. or the governors think there is a separate market, school, hospital, accomodation and transportation for the state workers to procure these services cheaper than the federal workers. may be the certificate owned by the federal workers are superior than their state counterparts. enough is enough let not our governors keep on cooking up lies and deceit to cover their profligacy and wreckless spending. you too go and cut down your salaries and other emoluments to 50% then we would accept that you are talking. Nigeria ,Nigeria why is it that the acts and arts of robbing workers of their entitlements keep on replicating itself when it comes to salary adjustments. when would you be free to pay the international Labour organisation minimum wage. our excellency sirs how many of your children gets 200k/month not to talk of 30k and such a child would accept that from you. your children are they not living in opulence than the perm sec in a state . and you said it loud and clear that it’s not general wage but national wage. sir, take us to the adult education class to properly facilitate us on why then is the national minimum wage meeting to the neglect of the states in the federation. or the states do not belong to the federal or federal is an entity of its own. may be the federal allocation to states would no longer hold hence the state had to decide solely what to pay. how on earth would any man not be aggrieved when he sees another man suffering. no not in the book of many of our governors, though, we have some of them very loving, caring and touched by workers ordeal. forget not that one day you will become Mr ex but whatever you do today would act after you to reap. do a thing that would not make your children reap sour grapes. while we are waiting for our almighty governors to use their sword, power and might to silence and smash workers head in their state – workers be rest assured that God is watching and waiting for them to give His reward.