Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has approved the sum of N77,000 as the minimum wage for the lowest worker in the State, saying the payment of the package takes immediate effect.
The decision was revealed after a meeting between Governor Abiodun, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, and the leadership of the Organised Labour in the State, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC), to discuss the implementation of the new minimum wage.
The governor, who spoke through the SSG, said that no worker in the state should earn less than N77,000 starting from the month of October.
Prince Abiodun said his administration meant well for the people of the state and has proactively taken steps to further ameliorate the suffering of the people.
The governor said he was in touch with the organised private sector to take a cue from the minimum wage policy of the State government as their workers were not exempted from the economic realities in the country, to improve the living standards of people in the state generally.
He noted that as such, the private sector should dialogue with their relevant stakeholders to arrive at a commensurate minimum wage for the sector while he will set up a monitoring team to see how private sector will implement same, to ensure no one is short-changed.
On his part, the State NLC chairman, Comrade Hameed Benco, said the organised labour in the state was very pleased with the governor having approved N77,000 minimum wage in consultation with labour leaders, which is the highest in the country so far.
Benco noted that some states that have implemented the new minimum wage were paying N70,000, while some pay N70,250 or less, adding that the other sectorial salaries will be affected accordingly.
He also mentioned that the government has graciously approved the submission of labour that the new basic salary should not be taxed.
In the same vein, Comrade Akeem Lasisi of the TUC and his counterpart, Comrade Isa Olude of the JNC, commended the State government for being worker-friendly, while they noted that consequential adjustments for pensioners and other matters will be announced after due consultation with the relevant stakeholders.
In his reaction, the State’s Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, said the approval of the generous minimum wage for workers underscored the responsiveness and sensitivity of Governor Abiodun and the government to the plight of the workers and the general populace of the state.
Onasanya expressed optimism that the gestures by the government will further boost the morale of the workers in committing themselves to the implementation and execution of the government’s policies and programmes.
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