By Ayo Yusuf
The agreement reached between the federal government and organised labour to pay workers N35,000 more to help cushion the effects of petrol subsidy removal has been challenged by state governments which said they had no obligation and no resources to shoulder such additional burden.
Some states claimed they had no obligation to pay workers what the FG pays its workers and are not bound by the agreement while others said they had other arrangements made before now and could not possibly abandon these previous commitments.
Recall that the federal government had, in agreement with the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, agreed to continue the payment of additional wage awards of N35,000 until a new minimum wage is arrived at next year.
The government of Kwara State said it had already started paying N10,000 wage award to its workers, even before the federal government made its deal with labour and intends to keep paying that money.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said yesterday: “KWSG started awarding extra N10,000 to every civil servant since July, apparently pioneering some sort of cash award.
According to the state government, “This is to support them until a new minimum wage comes on stream. Some other pro-worker measures, including reduction of work days from five to three, have also been implemented in different sectors to strengthen the purchasing power of workers, with positive impacts on the larger economy.
“The government will continue with these measures and more, such as the N10,000 cash award to students of Kwara State origin, to bring more ease to the people.
“The Kwara State government commends the step of the federal government. It is, of course, expected that other states that do not already have such arrangements will follow suit with sustainable amounts that align with their own financial realities.”
Similarly, the Kebbi State government said it would sit with cabinet members to determine what wage award to pay to its workers.
Special Adviser to Governor Nasir Idris, on Media and Publicity, Malam Yahya Sarki, said though it is still too early to comment on the issue as the agreement was only signed between the federal government and labour on Monday night, the governor, being a former unionist, will approve something substantial for the workers.
He did not, however, state whether the state government will pay up to the N35,000 reached between the federal government and Labour.
In Niger State, the Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Hajiya Binta Mamman, declared that the state government will not be hasty in taking a decision on what to add to its workers salary, based on the N35,000 increment announced by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
The commissioner said the council meeting, which would be presided over by Governor Muhammed Umaru Bago, will deliberate on what she described as a sensitive issue to arrive at a figure to pay, after reviewing the financial implication for the state.
Her words: “The declaration of President Tinubu on the issue was an increment specially for federal civil servants and not for state workers and so far, I have not seen or heard any state government making a declaration on what to pay their workers, except those who had announced an adjustment even before that of the President.
“We are talking of huge amount of money here and when our governor is back, we will all sit down to take a decision at the Council meeting because we have to know what is coming into the coffers of the state and what should be going out to implement this in order not to start what we cannot continue.”
Like Kwara State, Adamawa State said it was ahead of the federal government in the provision of palliatives to cushion effects of the removal of fuel subsidy as the government already approved and had started paying N10, 000 across board as transport allowances to all categories of workers in the state.
Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, Deacon Humashi Wounosikoh, said that the N 35,000 approved by the federal government will be looked into by the state government.
He said that a directive on the N35,000 agreement between labour and the federal government is yet to be communicated to the state.
“The moment the directive is received from the Federal Government, Adamawa will sit with labour at our level here to see to its workability,” the CPS said.
In Plateau State, the government said it had concluded plans to pay an additional 10,000 workers and the Federal Government cannot dictate what to pay as wage award to its staff.
The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Musa Ashoms, said before the federal government made the announcement, the state had commenced the process of alleviating the plights of its workers and other citizens.
He said: “The federal government can’t determine what happens in the state but we have a government that is considerate. Before the federal government made that decision, we had made ours.
“Ours is that we will give palliative to civil servants, we have made plans to reduce school fees for our students, increase bursary to students by 100%.
“We will add N10,000 to the civil servants, even though we have not started implementing but before they announce theirs, we have our own intervention plan we will implement.”
Cross River and Delta States have similarly cued into adding 10,000 to their workers’ wages. Governor Basey Otu, of Cross River said the state is already paying N10,000 wage award to its workers adding, “We gave the federal government the example. We have paid our civil servants the sum of N10,000 every month. We are going to keep paying them that for now.”
Similarly, in Delta State, Festus Ahon, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sheriff Oborevowori, said: “The Oborevwori administration is committed to the welfare of all Deltans and in line with our M.O.R.E Agenda; we took the lead by approving N10, 000 across the board for all civil servants in the state for three months effective from August.
“The state government also directed the local government councils to replicate the same for their workers. As we speak, the workers have received two tranches – August and September.
“As a government, we will continue to take steps that will ease the sufferings of our people, caused by the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.”
In Abia State, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alex Otti, Mr. Kazie Uko, said the state government is yet to know the details of the agreement on the proposed wage increase between the federal government and labour and how it will apply to states.
Uko explained that until the details are made clear, there is nothing much the state could do over the issue.
He said: “The proposal or offer is still between the federal government and labour unions. Nothing has been presented to the state government yet in that regard. Until such is done, there is nothing the state can do.”
In Edo, the state government claimed it is already paying the highest minimum wage in the country.
Andrew Okungbowa, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Godwin Obaseki, said: “Our state currently pays the highest minimum wage of N40,000.
“We have in place our support programme for our people – the free transport scheme and the N500m monthly to be distributed among the poorest of the poor, which will soon come on stream once we re-validate and update our social register.
“Our state would like to do more for our people, depending on the resources at our disposal. The governor will consider the correct response to the salary award by the Federal Government regarding the state workers when the time comes.
“He (the governor) will do more than that award as we are already ahead of the Federal Government and other state governments in our response to the present situation.
“But I must also draw attention to my governor’s insistence on the devolution of powers to both state and local governments to free more funds for development.
“Once that is done, our governor will be in a better position to improve the welfare of our people and development of the state more than he is doing currently.”
In Akwa Ibom State, a senior Government House source wondered, “What is the rush? The federal government only just made a pronouncement, we know the pressures, but it is not a competition that we must react to.
“Accepting or not accepting, declaring whether Akwa Ibom will pay is not the issue. As a state, we are not acting on impulse. Governor Umo Eno, like his counterparts across the country, understands the challenges of workers’ wages against the rising market prices.
“The state will work within the leverages available to do what she can do, working in agreement and understanding with the workers. That does not require that we play in the gallery on the pages of newspapers.”
Enugu and Ondo States however are among the few states which categorically said they would be paying the 35,000 wage increase as agreed between the FG and organised labour.
The Enugu State Commissioner for Labour and Employment, Chika Ugwuoke, said that the state will definitely structure subsidy removal palliative measures in the format the Federal Government had designed to alleviate the plight of workers in the state.
“Enugu State was very prompt in the distribution of palliatives to our people and this wage award won’t be any different,” Mr. Ugwuoke said.
On his part the Enugu State Chairman of NLC, Fabian Nwigbo, said they were part of the team that negotiated wage award which he disclosed was meant for federal, state and local government workers.
I can only speak for my state which is Enugu and we are confident that the governor here will implement it,” he said.
Similarly, the Ondo State government has assured its workers that it would key into the federal government’s template to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy.
A top government official who pleaded anonymity, said:
“Although the agreement is between federal government and labour, but our own state too will have to meet with labour to discuss and agree on what will cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy.
“The state government will soon be meeting with the labour leadership in a bid to look into the matter appropriately.
“The state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, is ready to do whatever is within the limit of the state to assist the workers.
“Our state has even put in place some palliatives, such as free buses for our workers and free shuttle buses for students even before this agreement was reached between federal and the union.
“We want to assure our workers that they would smile after the negotiation with the state labour leaders was finalized.
The state government expressed its desire to key-into the federal government’s measures to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.
The Ekiti State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr Taiwo Olatunbosun, said he had no doubts that the state government will do whatever it takes to implement an additional increase in the minimum wage of workers in the state: “Our state will not be an exemption, having seen what the Federal Government has agreed to do with labour and the workers.
“Our state will take it from there and we will make sure we continue to give the best to workers and populace well-being and welfare and it will be important at this point to say Ekiti has taken the welfare and well-being of our workforce to the front line of our policies, and we are going to continue to do that.
“We are not going to lag behind in ensuring that we do everything within our powers and the ability of the state to make everybody happy.
“What the FG has done is good and we have to look at it at the state level, we will all look at it and do the needful for our workers. The nitty-gritty will be discussed and fine-tuned to follow suit.
“We have done a lot of relief packages, we have done a lot. We have been doing alot of palliatives and reliefs that will make our people okay.
“Concerning the wage award which has just been announced, this is the upper level of discussion which everybody has been waiting for and I’m very sure that we will all follow what happened when the organised labour at the national level called off their proposed strike to give government time to be able to fine-tune some of these things.
“We are not going to lag behind. Ekiti is a welfarist state and we have a governor with compassion and a very good plan for our workforce. We will do everything possible to ensure our people are okay and happy.’’
Oyo, Ogun and Osun states have however not decided what it would do yet. According to the Special Adviser to Oyo State Governor on Labour Matters, Mr. Titilola Sodo,: “Oyo State Government will meet with the labour leadership in a collective bargaining process to arrive at a mutually-satisfying package for her employees.”
Osun and Ogun state governments have also made similar promises to respond to the situation after due consultations with stakeholders in the states.
The Rivers and Bayelsa state governments are also yet to make their positions known on the new national minimum wage and a source at Port Harcourt Government House who did not want his name in print, said: “It is too early to seek the state government’s reaction to the decision.”
“There are 36 states in Nigeria. How many of them have reacted to the new wage award so far? It is just too early and I am confident that the governor will come up with something the workers will be proud of.”
He expressed confidence that the “state government will work for the overall happiness of workers by looking into their welfare.”
In Bayelsa State, a senior government official who pleaded anonymity, said: “It is not a question for us yet. If labour is negotiating with the federal government, states are not negotiating with labour. Remember that states will decide what they want, based on their financial situation.”
The same goes for Kano where the Commissioner of Information and Internal Affairs, Baba Halilu Dantiye, said the state is waiting for details of the agreement between the Federal Government and labour.
“We are waiting for the details of the agreement and we will also study it to know the next line of action to take,’’ Dantiye said.
