NULGE: Minimum Wage’ll Not Lead To Retrenchment


The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) yesterday ruled out the possibility of workers’ retrenchment because of the implementation of the new national minimum wage of N30,000.
NULGE President in Ondo State, Mr. Bola Taiwo, said the state government had assured workers that the implementation of the new minimum wage being agitated for by organised labour would lead to the retrenchment of workers.
Taiwo said: Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has expressed readiness to pay workers in the state once the new wage was passed into law.
Speaking at a media parley in Akure, Taiwo disagreed with governors who said the new minimum wage, if implemented, would lead to the disengagement of workers.
The union’s leadership also appealed to Governor Akeredolu to ensure that 2018 promotion letters of local government workers were handed to deserving workers without further delay to enable them sustain their support for the state government.
He noted that state governors in the country had what it takes to pay N30,000 as the new minimum wage, adding that releasing the 2018 promotion letters of local government workers would boost the morale of deserving members.
Taiwo explained that governors must set their priorities right in governance so as to be able to pay, saying that government spending on frivolities should be reduced, advising the Senate to approve the new national minimum wage bill as passed by the House of Representatives to enable President Muhammadu Buhari.
Flanked by the state Publicity Secretary, Tayo Omodara and the union’s Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Tope Gbangba, the NULGE boss said: “On the issue of the N30,000 minimum wage, we believe the state can pay it. The governor here said he can pay, but he said we should come to work regularly.
“Let me tell you, these governors can pay the money, but they spend our money anyhow. We have salary commission and what they should do is that with the help of the constitution, let salaries be first charge in the tiers of government.
“When it gets to FAAC, let them remove salaries of these tiers of government, then they should distribute the rest. It is what you have that you will spend.

“If a governor can pay N1.2 billion; N800 million as security votes; a governor can pay, the only thing we should do is that lets get back to the constitution, re-plan and enforce the salary commission to take salaries as first charge.”
While reiterating the union’s stand on autonomy for the local government, the NULGE president condemned the idea of appointment of caretaker committees for the running of the local government, saying it is alien to the nation’s constitution.
Taiwo urged the National Assembly to amend the constitution in such a way that would allow salary commission in the country to deduct directly the salaries of the three tiers of government during the monthly Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting.
He said: “I believe that local government autonomy is very important. We have financial autonomy, administrative autonomy and we have political autonomy.
“In political autonomy, the appointment of caretaker committees for local governments we don’t like. It is an aberration to our constitution and also to our development. They should stop it and allow INEC to conduct the election, the autonomy will come.
“We have also financial autonomy; they should allow our money to come directly to the purse of local governments. We should preside over our money not another ministry doing that for us.
“The Senate, when approving, can make some amendment in our constitution by enforcing the salary commission to remove during FAAC to remove the whole salaries of the three tiers of government at first charge. If they do that, the way and manner they (governors) spend our money will reduce.”
Taiwo commended the state governor for prompt payment of salaries, especially the outstanding arrears, revealing that five of the seven months arrears had been paid by the present administration.
The NULGE boss also expressed satisfaction with the ongoing massive roads construction and rehabilitation across the eighteen local government areas of the state.
Source: New Telegraph

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