The Nigeria Governors Forum,
(NGF) says state governors “have been engaging with the respective branches of
the Nigerian Labour Congress” to meet up with the December 31 minimum wage
implementation deadline.
Aminu Tambuwal, the vice-chairman
of the Forum and Governor of Sokoto State, said this on Wednesday while
addressing journalists after a meeting with the 36 state governors, at the NGF
secretariat in Abuja.
The federal government and labour
on October 18 announced an agreement on the implementation of the new wage.
The Federal Executive Council
(FEC) at its meeting in October presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo
approved the agreement and set dates for the take-off of the new wage and
payment of the arrears.
FEC also directed that the
payment of the new salary structure should take effect from April 18 and the
arrears cleared by December 31.
NGF’s position
Mr Tambuwal, who represented NGF
chairman, Kayode Fayemi, noted that the state governors were committed to the
welfare and wellbeing of their workforce.
”Various state governments have
been engaging with their branches of Nigerian Labour Congress. I am sure it is
work in progress, before December all the states must have finished working out
the details on the issue of minimum wage across the federation.
”We are very much committed to
the welfare and wellbeing of our workforce and therefore we shall continue to
ensure we do our best on what needs to be done,” he said.
The NGF in
October had said the agreement between the federal government and organised
labour on consequential adjustments on the new minimum wage is not binding on
state governments.
The agreement over consequential
adjustments averted a strike that labour had threatened to call had the
government further delayed the take-off of the new minimum wage.
Long road
President Buhari signed the new
minimum wage bill into law on April 18. But its implementation was stalled over
salary adjustments and disagreement between the labour unions and government
representatives.
Specifically, the problem centred
around the issue of relativity and consequential adjustments of salaries for
various categories of workers.
The federal government then
argued that the minimum wage was for junior-level workers (levels 1 to 7) and
that salary increase for other categories of workers would have to be
negotiated.
On May 14, the federal government
inaugurated the relativity and consequential adjustment committee, which set up
a technical subcommittee to work out a template for the adjustment of salaries
of public service employees in line with the minimum wage law.
The controversy was resolved
between both parties on October 18, following which FEC approved the
implementation.
The labour minister, Chris Ngige,
later announced details of the agreement to journalists.
Speaking on behalf of the union,
the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, had said both
parties participated in the process and made input.
”We want our workers to be
committed and increase productivity. The guideline will be transmitted to all
state councils and they will work in harmony as well as TUC and NLC will work
together,” he said.
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