NLC to Governor: Resign if You Can’t Pay New Minimum Wage

Governors who are incapable of meeting the new N70,000 minimum wage have been urged by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to step down from their positions.

Last week, Gombe State Governor Inuwa Yahaya declared that his government would be unable to comply with the new national minimum wage standard.

During a gathering at the Government House in Gombe, Yahaya – who leads both the Northern Governors’ Forum and chairs discussions with labor leaders, traders associations and civil society organizations – issued this statement.

In response to Yahaya’s statement, Benson Upah – the Head of Public Relations for NLC – suggested that the governor resign. Upholding his duty as a public servant is crucial and failing to pay goes against this oath.” stated Upah.

Inquiries about the governor’s remarks have not yet received a response from any Trade Union Congress official.

Last week, President Bola Tinubu put his signature to the freshly enacted Minimum Wage Act, which came nearly two weeks after he reached an agreement on a N70,000 minimum wage with organized labour unions.

Read Also: NLC Urges Police: Focus on Bandits, Not Peaceful Protesters

On July 18th of this year, negotiations between the Federal Government and both labor and private sector representatives wrapped up under Mr. Tinubu’s guidance; during these talks he was able to nudge down organised labour’s original request from N250K per month all the way down to N70K instead

The Federal Executive Council assigned the responsibility of drafting a bill to modify the 2024 Budget to the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning on July 15.

Shortly thereafter, Tinubu sent a letter to the Senate President requesting amendments be made to both the 2024 Appropriation Act and 2023 Finance Act, seeking an augmented budget totaling N6.2 trillion.

This entreaty was delivered during a plenary session at which time it was read aloud before those in attendance.

All stakeholders were involved in lengthy negotiations and consensus-building from February to July, resulting in the Federal Government guaranteeing compliance with the new minimum wage.