The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief John Oyegun, has said that demand of salary increments by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) from N18,000 to N56,000 have to be subjected to the capacity of each state in line with their ability to afford such payments.
Oyegun said that while the demand must be based on the economic realities on the ground and the ability to pay, the NLC should bear in mind that the cost of living is not the same in every part of the country.
Loading ...The labour union had recently asked the governments for an increments of their minimum wage from N18,000 to N56,000 while a faction of the union asking for N90,000
Speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, Chief Oyegun called on the state governors to engage their workers in discussion and make them appreciate their ability to pay and decide accordingly.
The APC chairman said: “As for the Labour situation, that is the matter for the executive. It is a matter for the economy and the executive at federal and state levels will have to consider the demand in line with their ability to pay and of course and in line with the reasonable demand so to speak of workers for improved condition.
“That is always what happens. But this must be based on the economic realities on the ground, the ability to pay. Perhaps to even demonstrate that this is not a central but a federal matter that states should be allowed to make their decisions base on their ability to pay. The cost of living is not the same in every part of the country.
“One state at least has broken ranks and made a decision which is just telling everybody, look, please every state should talk to your workers let them see and appreciate your ability to pay and then decide accordingly while the federal government would consider the realities also and take its decisions.”
Also reacting to delaying in appointment into different federal boards and parastatal, Oyegun said: “The only delay is the merger of ministries which brought a lot of questions as to whether board and the rest of them would not also be merged. So, these processes are being gone through and l give you the assurance that much sooner than later their announcement would start being made.”
