NLC urges FG, states to block financial leakages to pay new minimum wage

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on government at all levels to block financial leakages to be able to pay the proposed minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
Mr Ayuba Wabba, NLC President, made the call during for the North-Central Zonal public hearing of the Federal Government Tripartite Committee on the new national minimum wage, held in Lokoja, Kogi State on Friday.
President Muhammadu Buhari set up a 30-man tripartite committee in November 2017, to negotiate a new minimum wage for workers.
The NLC President suggested that corruption must be reduced at all levels of government, in order to pay the new national minimum wage.
“If corruption by public officials at both federal and state levels is reduced, there would be enough resources to pay workers the new minimum wage,’’ he said.
Wabba, however, faulted claims by some state governors that they lack resources to implement a new minimum wage, giving the current economic challenges.
He said the issue of nonpayment of salary was not about lack of resources, but rather about mismanagement of available resources.
He said that there was no way the nation could wish away the inflation, which he said, had eaten away the value of N18, 000.
“If we are able to reduce the fundamental corruption in our system where the elite see political office as an avenue to accumulate wealth.
“We can then have more than enough to service the poor and implement a new minimum wage.
“If they reduce what they are stealing, there will be enough to pay workers. In fact, some people even stole their share of bailout.
“To say that because of resources, the workers should continue to be impoverished is unacceptable,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the Kogi State government, during the public hearing, expressed its readiness to implement whatever amount agreed upon as the new minimum wage.
Governor Yahaya Bello, represented by his deputy, Mr Simon Achuba, said that the state government, however, looked forward to an acceptable and implementable minimum wage.
He called on the Federal Government to increase the distributable amount of the Federation Account to all tiers of government, especially the states and local governments.
“We want to reiterate that Kogi Government will always support the efforts of the Federal Government at alleviating and ameliorating the deplorable conditions of service of workers through enhanced salary packages.
“It is a statutory responsibility we intend to fulfill with zeal and commitment.
“In this regard, we called on the Federal Government, states, organised labour, and private sector to work together to arrive at a workable and implementable national minimum wage,‘’ he said.
Bello commended the committee for organising the public hearing, saying that it was capable of providing the committee with the opportunity to assess the problems confronting the public service in each state.
He lamented that the huge financial debt and backlog of unpaid salaries inherited from the previous governments had been a major burden on his administration.
“That is why we will continue to require the special assistance of the Federal Government for greater impact.
“To this end, we wish to commend the efforts of the Federal Government in assisting states with funds to settle their financial obligations to workers,’’ he said.
He appealed to the Federal Government to consider granting such reliefs at regular intervals to enable states meet their obligation to workers.
Meanwhile, Mr Patrick Dambe, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Establishment, who represented the Plateau State at the hearing, decried the shortfall in its revenue.
Dambe said the shortfall had caused the state to be borrowing to pay salaries and pensions.
He, therefore, made a submission of three proposals to the committee which included payment of either N25, 000, N30, 000 or N57, 000.
He, however, revealed that any of the proposals would greatly affect the wage bill of the state government, which is currently over N2.6 billion.
He said that the other option before the state government would be to downsize its workforce.
He added that unless there was a corresponding increase in federal allocation and IGR in the state, it would be almost to pay new minimum wage as being contemplated.