Kwara's state government on Wednesday insisted that payment of the proposed minimum wage is not feasible for local government employees.


According to Mrs. Harriet Afolabi-Oshatimehin, the state commissioner for communications, made this known in a statement in Ilorin, the state capital. The challenge, however, was how the local authorities can afford it. At the moment, all local governments together earn an average of N2.6 billion per month, including the 10 percent of their share of the IGR. It is remarkable that the monthly wage bill of these local governments is about N2.5 billion. it should be noted that the expenditure are based on the existing minimum wage of N18,000, ”said the commissioner. She said that when considering the new minimum wage, including the resulting adjustments, the wage bill will skyrocket to about N3 billion, adding that the revenues of local governments cannot currently afford that. The government is determined to pay the minimum wage, but begs the workers to accept a more reasonable scale that brings the total wage bill to less than N3 billion. We call for reasonable and practical steps to avoid a situation that will lead the local government to borrow to pay salaries, as was the case before this government, she said.


Meanwhile, the state government said that personnel audits and employee verification are part of its efforts to reposition public service in the state and are not a prerequisite for the payment of the minimum wage. “Certainly, the minimum wage negotiations will continue on Thursday (today). The minimum wage is a law that the state government will obey, ”she said. Previously, organized workers in the state had asked workers to prepare for a union action that was due to begin on Monday, October 12. The workers 'leaders rejected a new round of workers' verification and auditing by the government as a condition of paying the workers minimum wages.

The union leaders had given the state government a 14-day ultimatum on September 28 to begin payment of the new national minimum wage. Recall that in March, at a consultative meeting in Ilorin, the state capital, the governor had told union leaders that he was willing to sign the deal if he would not be held accountable if the councils fail, and noted that the councils currently struggling to get paid the N18,000 minimum wage and even had to draw on their savings and IGR before paying the February salary. However, the unions unanimously urged him to sign the agreement and leave the local government agencies to draft the payment modalities, including working with the government to exterminate ghost workers, clear payroll, and reduce wage costs.

https://infonets.com.ng/Thread-New-Minimum-Wage-is-Not-for-LG-Staff-Kwara-State-Govt

This is nothing but been bias !

Are the LG workers not part of the civil service? Why do they want to deny them their rights?
Well I trust NULGE to do the needful