Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has approved N77,000 as the new minimum wage for workers in the state.
The payment of the new minimum wage takes effect from this month, Octobe, 2024.
The new minimum wage was revealed on Monday after a meeting between Governor Abiodun, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, and the leadership of the Organized Labour in Ogun State.
Organised labour unions that attended the meeting to negotiate the new minimum wage with the state government are the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC).
The governor, who spoke through the SSG, said no worker in the state will earn less than N77,000 starting from the month of October.
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 is in touch with the organized private sector to take a cue from the minimum wage policy, as their workers are not exempt from the economic realities in the country.
He urged 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 it is implemented by the private sector to ensure no one is short-changed.
On his part, the State NLC Chairman, Comrade Hameed Benco, said the organized labour in the state is very pleased with the governor for approving the N77,000 in consultation with labour leaders, which today is the highest in the country.
Benco mentioned that government has also 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 JNC counterpart, Comrade Isa Olude, commended the government for being worker-friendly.
They noted that consequential adjustments for pensioners and other matters will be announced after due consultation with the relevant stakeholders.
In his reaction, Ogun State Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, said the approval of the generous minimum wage for workers underscores the responsiveness and sensitivity of the governor 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 of the government’s policies.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
