Avoid Or Ignite War Says Labour Union: N30,000 Minimum Wages, FG,Governors And Union Leaders Meet

As the struggle for new minimum wages gears higher, state Governors had early declared that they do not have much to pay for the new wages demanded even as they are not against the Federal Government to increase workers wages.

According to the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara, said the issue was not just on agreed figure to be paid by the governors, but the “ability or resources to take care of that agreed minimum wage.” Yari said that the forum had made it clear that the governors were not against any upward review of salaries or against the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to get minimum wage reviewed.

The contentious issue of the new national minimum wage may be resolved today, Monday, October 29 as the Economic Management Team would be meeting state governors to agree on the positions of Government as well as  labour unions.

Recall that the labour unions have threatened to embark on a nationwide strike on November 6, 2018, if the federal government fails to meet its demand on the new national minimum wage of N30,000.

While the union claimed that the N30,000 was agreed upon, the government had since denied reaching an agreement on the said amount.

 The minister of labour and employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said while the labour agreed on N30,000, the private sector, the federal government and state governments proposed N25,000, N24,000 and N20,000 respectively. On Friday, October 26, 2018, Ngige briefed President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the strike threat by the labour unions over the delay in the implementation of the minimum wage.