Minimum wage: Govs meet over definite stance on acceptable pay

Against the backdrop of the ongoing minimum wage negotiation, Nigerian governors under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) have called for an emergency meeting where the issue of the minimum wage is expected to be discussed in Abuja today.

The Daily Times recalls that the State governors have been fingered as the clog on the wheel of progress in Federal Government determination to endorse a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Earlier before the Federal Government’s pronouncement of N30.000 for Federal civil servants, over 80 per cent of the Governors had posited that neither organised labour nor the Federal Government can cajol them into accepting a unified amount of salary to all workers.

The State governors who have been part of the tripartite committee earlier agreed to pay the amount of of N24.000, as against N30, 000 agreed by the organised labour and other members of the committee.

The organised labour severally has accused the Governors of being economical with the truth, having cited lack of funds at the state level to finance bogous workers salaries.

It is expected that the meeting, which will be presided over by the Chairman of NGF and Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari, will take a definite stand on the amount the governors will be able to pay as minimum wage to avert a strike by the organised labour.

Meanwhile, political watchers has viewed the meeting to be a mere formality as a uniform amount of salary cannot be achieved with other states like Rivers willing to pay N40,000 together with Delta State as well as other states like Lagos who may pay above N30,000.

While others insist on paying N24, 000 which is less than Federal Government wage, the meeting may not yield much fruit as any agreement reached below N30,000 will trigger another labour crisis.