The National Labour Congress (NLC) has made it known to governors that they can be able to pay the N60,000 minimum wage and even more than that if only they can determine to cut the cost of governance and minimize the rate of corruption preeminent in offices.
This was contained in a press release by the NLC spokesperson, Benson Upah on Friday.
Upah stated that the NLC condemned the statement by the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) that the N60,000 minimum wage proposal by the Federal Government was not sustainable.
The press release by the NLC partly reads, ” We are alarmed by the statement credited to the Nigeria Governors Forum that state governments cannot even afford to pay N60,000 as minimum wage as according to them “a few states will end up borrowing to pay workers every month.
” We do believe the Governors have acted in bad faith. It is unheard of for such a statement be issued to the world in the middle of an on-going negotiation. It is certainly in bad taste.
“As for the veracity of their claim, nothing can be further from the truth as FAAC allocations have since moved from N700 billion to N1.2 trillion. making the governments extremely rich at the expense of the people.
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” All that the governors need to do to be able to pay a reasonable national minimum wage (not even the N60,000) is cut on the high cost of governance, minimise corruption as well as prioritise the welfare of workers.
” We are not fixated with figures but value. Those who argue that moving the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N60,000 is sufficiently good enough miss the point. In 2019, when N30,000 became the minimum, N300 exchanged for $1 (effectively making the minimum wage an equivalent of $100 or thereabout) while inflation rate was 11.40.
“At the moment the exchange rate is at N1,600 to $1 while inflation hovers at 33.7% (40% for food). This puts the value of the minimum wage at $37.5 for a family of six. This is happening at a time costs of everything rose by more than 400% as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy. This is an extreme bad news for the poor.
” Paying a miserable national minimum wage portends grave danger to not only the workforce but the national economy as in truth, economies of most states are driven by workers wages.
In light of this, we urge the governors to do a re-think and save the country from a certain death”.
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