The members of organised labour have knocked the 36 governors over their stand on the N60,000 minimum wage proposed by the federal government.
News About Nigeria reports that the joint National Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress expressed their grievances on Saturday.
Leaders of both unions described the governors’ comments and actions towards the Nigerian workers as acts of wickedness.
They have, however, called on state governors to have a rethink before “danger ahead explodes.”
This online media platform reported that governors of the 36 states of the federation rejected the N60,000 minimum wage earlier proposed by the federal government on Friday.
On Friday, the governors claimed the N60,000 wage is not realistic and unsustainable, arguing that if implemented, it would force some states in the country to borrow to pay workers’ salaries.
Responding to the governor’s claim on Saturday, Benson Upah, the Head of Information and Public Affairs at the NLC headquarters, said in a statement that he wondered why governors forget that the price of fuel and the dollar against the naira, among other things, have gone up astronomically.
In his words, “We are alarmed by the statement credited to the Nigeria Governors Forum that state governments cannot even afford to pay N60,000 as the minimum wage as a few states will end up borrowing to pay workers every month.
“We do believe the governors have acted in bad faith. It is unheard of for such a statement to be issued to the world in the middle of an ongoing negotiation. It is certainly in bad taste.”
Speaking further on the claims, the two labour said nothing could be further from the truth that FAAC allocations have since moved from “N700 billion to N1.2 trillion, making the governments extremely rich at the expense of the people.”
According to them, all that the governors need to do to be able to pay a reasonable national minimum wage (not even the N60,000) is cut on the high cost of governance, minimise corruption, and prioritise the welfare of workers.
The union added, “In 2019, when N30,000 became the minimum, N300 exchanged for $1 (effectively making the minimum wage an equivalent of $100 or thereabout) while inflation rate was 11.40.
“At the moment, the exchange rate is at N1,600 to $1 while inflation hovers at 33.7% (40% for food). This puts the value of the minimum wage at $37.5 for a family of six. This is happening at a time when the costs of everything have risen by more than 400% as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy.
“Paying a miserable national minimum wage portends grave danger to not only the workforce but the national economy, as, in truth, the economies of most states are driven by workers’ wages.
“In light of this, we urge the governors to do a re-think and save the country from a certain death.”
