Minimum wage: Ignore state governors excuses, labour leaders call

Federal Government has been urged to ignore the excuses by state governors and forge ahead with the ongoing process for new minimum wages for workers in the country. The advice was given by the National President of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Ibrahim Khaleel, at the meeting of the Northern Executive Council […]

Federal Government has been urged to ignore the excuses by state governors and forge ahead with the ongoing process for new minimum wages for workers in the country.

The advice was given by the National President of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Ibrahim Khaleel, at the meeting of the Northern Executive Council of the Union in Kaduna on Sunday.

Khaleel, who is also the National Treasurer of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, dismissed the recent statement credited to the Chairman of the Governors Forum, Abdulhafeez Yari, that the Governors are not elected to pay salaries alone, adding that the excuse is not only flimsy but it is also ridiculous and unacceptable.

He argued that the top priority of any responsible Government is to ensure the welfare of its workers by ensuring payment of salaries and other dues as and when due  lamenting that the attitude of some State Governors, who have refused to pay salaries for months, could dent the integrity of the present administration.

Ibrahim said NULGE is in full support of the two weeks ultimatum given to the Federal Government by the organised labours to bring back the negotiation for, a more realistic and befitting new minimum wages for workers,  on track.

On the issue of Local Government autonomy, the Nulge President lamented that, “Some State Governors are working to subvert the efforts towards the realisation of a true Local Government autonomy for their selfish interest but assured that NULGE would not relent.”

In his speech, the Chairman of the Northern Executive Council of the Union, Ali Kolo, said the Council would intensify effort to mobilize support towards the realisation of the goals of the Union.