Allow each Governor to negotiate what it can pay was the demand of the State Governors during the extraordinary session of the National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting held with President Tinubu in attendance.
Their call came as the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, said on Wednesday night that it would not cease to engage the stakeholders to reach a consensual solution to the new minimum wage crisis.
Although President Tinubu, in an unusual manner, was in attendance at the National Economic Council, the NEC meeting was often chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima but was silent throughout the meeting.
Yesterday, Organised Labour said that public and private sector workers are becoming restive over the delay in concluding and implementing the new minimum wage.
Governors’ Stance on The Minimum Wage Negotiation
In a 16-point communique issued yesterday, the governors also solicited that each state be allowed to negotiate the new wage with the Labour Unions.
“The Forum discussed the minimum wage issues demanded by Labour and unanimously agreed that the minimum wage should reflect the cost of living and that each state should be allowed to negotiate its minimum wage.
“This led to the forum’s discussion on fiscal federalism and devolution of powers,” the communique read. They also reiterated their desire to be committed to the process.
In a communique signed at the end of the meeting by AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, NGF chairman and governor of Kwara State, the governors said: “The Forum discussed the new national minimum wage.
“The governors agreed to continue engaging with key stakeholders to reach a mutually agreeable solution. We remain dedicated to the process and assure that better wages will result from the ongoing negotiations.”
Diverse Narratives
We have to recall that President Bola Tinubu had, in January, set up a tripartite committee and the committee comprising the organised labour, representatives of Federal and State Governments as well as the Organised Private Sector but failed to reach a consensus which led to indefinite industrial action on Monday, June 3, 2024.
The industrial action is shutting down business activities as labour shut down airports, hospitals, the national grid, banks, National Assembly, and state assemblies’ complexes.
The labour unions had said the current minimum wage of N30,000 was no longer sustainable and could no longer cater to the well-being of an average Nigerian, imploring the government to offer workers something economically realistic following current inflationary pressures.
Labour immediately ended its strike on June 4, 2024, following the President’s reassurances that he would increase the living wage above N60,000.
Subsequently, the Trade Union Congress and Nigeria Labour Congress leaderships resumed talks with representatives of the Federal Government, states, and the Organised Private Sector.
On Friday, June 7, 2024, the two sides (Labour and the Government) still needed help to reach an agreement. While Labour dropped its demand from N494,000 to N250,000, the government added N2,000 to its initial N60,000 offer, making it N62,000.
Amidst the President’s Democracy Day speech on June 12, 2024, he assured the Labour that he would soon send an executive bill on the new national minimum wage to the National Assembly.
The President, who was expected to preside over the NEC meeting yesterday, June 27th, 2024, also said that he would conduct a broader consultation on the matter this week.
Workers Becoming Restive
According to sources, the workers complain that the government is not fulfilling its palliative care promises.
One of the labour leaders in the public sector unions, who spoke to Vanguard, said: “The public sector workers, otherwise known as the civil servants, have been lamenting the hardship and suffering they have been passing through.
“Their significant complaints are that while the minimum wage has been protracted and prolonged, the suffering and the hardship brought about by government policies, especially the removal of subsidy, have worsened their living conditions.
He continues
“They noted that the palliatives promised by the government are not forthcoming and that many state governors are not paying palliatives. Even the federal government has not been consistent in its payment.”
“Some of the governors said they are waiting for the minimum wage. It has been double jeopardy for us as workers because while the palliatives are not coming, the new minimum wage is also in limbo. However, the hardship has become unbearable as necessities are no longer affordable.”
He further noted that “there are families to feed, school fees to pay. The workers are becoming very restive and are urging us to take action, including industrial action, to quicken the resolution. They think the government is unnecessarily dragging the process and that we need to do something urgent.’’
Similarly, the private sector workers are also being affected.
“They keep asking when we are resuming the suspended strike so the government knows we are suffering. Besides the hardship and suffering created by the fuel subsidy removal, the foreign exchange crisis and the recent hikes in electricity tariffs have compounded the prevalent problems in the private sector.
“Like other workers, they keep reminding us that what they are earning cannot take them to the bus stop, let alone take them home, yet the minimum wage they have been hoping would come early to lessen their pains appears elusive. They believe as labour leaders, we are not doing enough to push the government to hasten the process,’’ a labour leader in the sector said.
President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, urged everyone to be calm as the matter is being resolved.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/06/minimum-wage-let-each-state-negotiate-what-it-can-pay-govs/