Minimum wage: Learn from Edo gov, Ajaero charges NGF

Ajaero, NLC President

The President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has urged the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) to learn from the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, who is implementing N70,000 minimum wage.

Ajaero said this in Geneva, Switzerland at the ongoing International Labour Conference (ILC). He went on to say that with increased resources to the states, there is no justification for not paying a new wage floor that will boost purchasing power for the manufacturing sector to boom and generate the needed employment on a sustainable basis.

He argued that calling for a decentralised wage floor without decentralising the wages and emoluments of the governors smacks of hypocrisy on the part of the state executives.

The NLC President also berated the governor of the 36 states under the umbrella body of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum for rejecting the N62,000.

“How can any governor say he cannot pay? They cannot also be calling for the decentralization of the minimum wage. Are there wages decentralized? Governors whose states are not contributing a dime to the national purse and who generate pitiable Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) are collecting the same amount as governors whose states are generating billions of dollars into the FAAC. They should decentralize their salaries and emoluments first. So, where is the governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki getting his money from? He is paying N70,000 minimum wage. This is the type of governor that should be emulated and not the lazy ones.”

With two figures of N62,000 and N250,000 presented to President Bola Tinubu for consideration, Ajaero said the planned resumption of the suspended two days’ work-to-rule that took place between Monday and Tuesday last week, will not resume on Tuesday.

He said: “The tripartite committee submitted two figures to the President. Government and employers proposed N62,000 while labour proposed N250,000. We are waiting for the decision of the President. Our National Executive Council (NEC) will deliberate on the new figure when it is out.”

On the expiration of the one-week ‘relaxation’ of the suspended strike that is expected to resume on Tuesday, Ajaero said: “We cannot declare strike now because the figures are with the President. We will wait for the President’s decision. During the tenure of the immediate past President, the figure that was proposed to him was N27,000 by the tripartite committee but he increased it to N30,000. We are hopeful that this President will do the right thing. The President had noted that the difference between N62,000 and N250,000 is a wide gulf. Now that labour has demonstrated this high level of goodwill, we expect that the government will reciprocate this.”

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