Minimum Wage: Labour directs state councils to open negotiations with governors

Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council has directed its state councils to begin negotiations for consequential adjustment and implementation of the new minimum wage.
NAN reports that after the Federal Government agreed on consequential adjustments and percentage increase for workers in the Federal civil service with organised labour on October 18, the joint negotiating council in each state is expected to open negotiation with its state government.
However, state governments under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors Forum, had said that they would only pay according to the financial standing of their respective states.
The Chairman of the Council, Simon Anchaver at a meeting in Abuja noted that the Union has also given state governors December 31, as deadline for implementation of the new minimum wage.
According to him, the Union had adopted the deregulated collective bargaining style to ensure that state governments also negotiate what they can afford, so long as it was not lower than the N30, 000 benchmark.
According to him, “Any governor that said he’ll not pay stands to be impeached”.
Also, the Secretary-General of the JNPSNC, Alade Lawal, noted that the Union had agreed with it’s state councils to start sending our letters to state governments, saying negotiations ought to start upon receipt of such letter.
“Negotiation with state governments starts anytime from today, we have
agreed that the joint national negotiating council should send letters
to state governments which will be sent tomorrow, the draft for the
letter is ready.
“We will first send it to our members’ email addresses in the states
and then we will send the hard copy to the state governments, Negotiation starts immediately after the receipt of the letter.”
Lawal said the council was still expecting an agreed template from the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission to act as guideline to states for onward negotiations.
“There are three documents handed over to the state negotiating council
chairmen, the first one is the agreement we signed with the Federal
Government on the consequential adjustment. I am sure the press
already has it.
“We are expecting a circular from the National Income, Salaries and
Wages Commission but we are being proactive. We have decided to
develop a table on consolidated public salary structure and the
consolidated health sector salary arrangement.
“This is like a replica of the table that we are expecting from the
NISWC based on the agreement that we signed with the FG. This was
given to state negotiating council chairmen to serve as guide so that
they can have a view of what it looks like when they start their own
negotiation in their states.
“It however does not serve as the circular we are expecting from the Federal Government through the NISWC.
“The FG will still issue the circular in respect of the new wage structure so the one we have done is not binding but just a working document between us and our counterpart in states.
“The document will not hinder their negotiation with state governments.
It is for the personal use of our members in the states, we are not
forwarding it to the state governments.
“We are hopeful that by December 31, all negotiations should be wrapped
up. In areas where we have difficulties, we have decided to move in as
a group to shut down the space towards ensuring that implementation is
done.”