*Pix above{r…l}: PBAT and Organised Labour
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After two days of waiting, the negotiations over the national minimum wage ends in another deadlock yesterday. At the end of yesterday’s meeting, the Federal Government negotiating team raised its offer by N2,000 bringing its total minimum wage offer to N62,000 while the Organised Labour reduced its demand to N250,000 from N494,000.
The state governors on their part had earlier yesterday, while negotiations were still going on declared that they could not even pay the N60,000 minimum wage which had been proposed by the Federal Government before the government later increased it by N2,000. It was gathered that the Organised Private Sector, OPS, was backing the government’s offer.
Following the disagreement the Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage, NNMW, has adjourned. According to the source “there was disagreement on the amount. The government offered N62,000 but Labour is now demanding N250,000. The report is to be communicated to the President for further deliberation”.
Before the Federal Government raised its offer to N62,000 yesterday, the state governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, had said that they could not pay the N60,000 minimum wage proposed by the Federal Government and which the organised labour had even rejected. The governors came up with this position as the Tripartite Committee set up by the government was meeting to finalise negotiations on minimum wage.
The governors said the N60,000 minimum wage proposal by the Federal Government was not sustainable, arguing that if they try it, a few states will end up borrowing to pay workers every month as they do not think this will be in the collective interest of the country, including workers.
According to the Governors, if they sustain the proposed N60,000 minimum wage by the Federal Government, it would result in many states spending all their Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC allocations on just paying salaries with nothing left for development purposes.
This was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the NGF acting Director of Media and Public Affairs, Hajiya Halimah Salihu Ahmed, titled, “The forum’s stand on the: N60,000 minimum wage not sustainable: NGF”
The statement read, “The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) agrees that a new minimum wage is due. The Forum also sympathises with labour unions in their push for higher wages.
“However, the Forum urges all parties to consider the fact that the minimum wage negotiations also involve consequential adjustments across all cadres, including pensioners. The NGF cautions parties in this important discussion to look beyond just signing a document for the sake of it; any agreement to be signed should be sustainable and realistic.
“All things considered, the NGF holds that the N60,000 minimum wage proposal is not sustainable and cannot fly. It will simply mean that many states will spend all their FAAC allocations on just paying salaries with nothing left for development purposes. In fact, a few states will end up borrowing to pay workers every month. We do not think this will be in the collective interest of the country, including workers.
“We appeal that all parties involved, especially the labour unions, consider all the socioeconomic variables and settle for an agreement that is sustainable, durable, and fair to all other segments of the society who have a legitimate claim to public resources.”Recall that members of the organised labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress had on Tuesday, suspended their strike for five days. The strike which commenced on Monday was called to protest the failure of the Federal Government to approve new minimum wage by May 31 as well as its failure to reverse the hike in electricity tariff.{agency}/PLEASE SHARE
