Minimum wage: 60k is too high, unsustainable, says governors

The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) has rejected the projected N60,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers, stating that it is excessively high, not unsustainable and perchance detrimental to authorities economies.

The announcement came successful a connection issued connected Friday by the Director of Media and Public Affairs for NGF, Halimah Salihu Ahmed.

The governors expressed concerns that implementing the N60,000 minimum wage would unit galore states to allocate their full Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds to salaries, leaving nary resources for improvement projects.

It cautioned parties successful this important treatment to look beyond conscionable signing a papers for the involvement of it; immoderate statement to beryllium signed should beryllium sustainable and realistic.

“The Nigeria Governors’ Forum is successful statement that a caller minimum wage is due. The Forum besides sympathises with labour unions successful their propulsion for higher wages,” the connection read.

“However, the Forum urges each parties to see the information that the minimum wage negotiations besides impact consequential adjustments crossed each cadres, including pensioners. The NGF cautions parties successful this important treatment to look beyond conscionable signing a papers for the involvement of it; immoderate statement to beryllium signed should beryllium sustainable and realistic.

“All things considered, the NGF holds that the N60,000 minimum wage connection is not sustainable and tin not fly. It volition simply mean that galore states volition walk each their FAAC allocations connected conscionable paying salaries, with thing near for improvement purposes. In fact, a fewer states volition extremity up borrowing to wage workers each month. We bash not deliberation this volition beryllium successful the corporate involvement of the country, including workers.”

The governor, however, urged each parties progressive successful the dialog process, peculiarly the labour unions, to instrumentality into relationship each socioeconomic variables and settee for an statement that is sustainable, durable, and just to each different segments of nine who person a morganatic assertion to nationalist resources.

The stance taken by the governors follows the organized labor’s request for a minimum wage higher than the N60,000 projected by the tripartite committee.

The labour unions, including the TUC and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), had precocious suspended their concern action, which commenced connected Monday, aft reaching a preliminary statement with the Federal Government.

The authorities assured that President Bola Tinubu is committed to a minimum wage exceeding the archetypal N60,000 offer.