Governors of the 36 States under the canopy of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has made it clear that they will not be able to pay the N60,000 minimum wage being proposed by the Federal Government.
In a statement todday, June 7, the NGF said that there is a need for a realistic and sustainable minimum wage that considers the broader socioeconomic implications.
The statement reads in part: “The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is in agreement that a new minimum wage is due. The Forum also sympathises with labour unions in their push for higher wages.
“However, the Forum urges all parties to consider the fact that the minimum wage negotiations also involve consequential adjustments across all cadres, including pensioners.
“The NGF cautions parties in this important discussion to look beyond just signing a document for the sake of it; any agreement to be signed should be sustainable and realistic.
“All things considered, the NGF holds that the N60,000 minimum wage proposal is not sustainable and can not fly. It will simply mean that many states will spend all their FAAC allocations on just paying salaries with nothing left for development purposes.
“In fact, a few states will end up borrowing to pay workers every month. We do not think this will be in the collective interest of the country, including workers.
“We appeal that all parties involved, especially the labour unions, consider all the socioeconomic variables and settle for an agreement that is sustainable, durable, and fair to all other segments of the society who have legitimate claim to public resources.”
This is coming on the heels of the ongoing negotiations between the government and labour unions, who have already expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed wage.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had gone on strike on Monday, June 3, to protest the federal government’s proposal of N60,000 as the minimum wage, which they said was unacceptable.
