- By Halimah Olamide
“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,”
The 36 Nigerian governors have rejected the N60,000 minimum wage proposal as part of the offers by the Federal Government to workers in the ongoing negotiations.
The governors, under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum said said the proposal is not sustainable saying that there are far reaching implications that must be considered.
“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,” the Forum said
Appealing to all parties involved, especially the labour unions, the forum said all socioeconomic variables should be taken into consideration adding that the parties should “settle for an agreement that is sustainable, durable, and fair to all other segments of the society who have legitimate claim to public resources.”
“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,”
The forum also advised all the parties to look beyond just signing a document for the sake of it; adding “any agreement to be signed should be sustainable and realistic.”
NGF’s position on Friday followed the reported submission of a report by the Minister of Finance Wale Edun, that a sum of N60,000 is being proposed for workers.
The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress had called out workers this week on a nationwide strike which paralysed the economy.
The government had called for resumption of negotiations after what it saw as the full impact of the strike.