NGF a social club, lacks tenacity to determine minimum wage – NLC

The chairman of Oyo state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Waheed Olojede, yesteray described the Nigeria Governors Forum as a social club that lacks the tenacity to determine the national minimum wage.

He said the governors have no business discussing issues regarding national minimum wage with workers.

Oloyede, who spoke to reporters in Ibadan yesterday, asked: “How can NGF now say it cannot pay? That they are going to retrench workers. If they are to protect constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, workers are part of the people to be protected. If they had sworn to uphold the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, and they are to protect the integrity and tenets of that constitution of federal republic of Nigeria, the workers are part of Nigeria. If they are now saying that, they are acting contrary to the declaration they have made.

“For me, if the federal government is going to be sincere with the approval of the new minimum wage, the issue of salary deregulation should be out of it. If it is national minimum wage, it should go round everybody.

“Today, the governor in Kaduna is taking the same salary with the governor in Kano state. The governor in Kano is taking the same salary with the governor in bayelsa. If that can be centrally control by the government of federal republic of Nigeria, I see no reason whatever approved by federal government should not be applicable to all workers irrespective of their job location in Nigeria, either at the state or local government level.”