Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has announced his intention to pay the N70,000 new national minimum wage to workers in the state.
The governor’s position was presented by the Deputy Governor, Manassah Daniel Jatau, who is also the Chairman, Gombe State Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage Negotiation during a press briefing at the conference hall of the deputy Governor’s Office, Gombe.
Represented by the State Head of Civil Service, Alh. Ahmed Kasimu Abdullahi, during a Press briefing ,the Deputy Governor explained that the governor is highly committed to ensuring that civil servants in the state enjoy the N70, 000 new national minimum wage so that they can put in their best in serving the state .
He said the governor has set a machinery in motion and the standing committee has been fine-tuning to see to the implementation of the new minimum wage.
He said, ” Government has set the machinery for the implementation of the new national minimum wage in Gombe State. Let me assure you that His Excellency the Governor is fully determined to pay the minimum wage.
“Unlike what you have been hearing in some quarters that the governor said he won’t pay. No, not at all. His Excellency is one of the governors in the fore front of payment of the new minimum wage”.
He said Governor Inuwa Yahaya has been magnanimous enough to willingly pay a N10,000 palliative in form of a wage award since September last year, across board to all civil servants in the state to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal which, automatically brought the minimum wage to N40,000 naira when other states couldn’t pay the N30,000 minimum wage.
” In the magnanimity of the Governor to alleviate the hardship occasioned by fuel subsidy removal, he approved the payment of N10,000 across board to all civil servants without anyone putting any pressure on him in order to make the civil servants feel better in the discharge of their duties.
“The additional N10,000 was because of his concern, feeling and regard to civil servants and it has made the minimum wage N40,000 instead of N30, 000 even when other states couldn’t pay the N30,000″.
He however pointed out that the negotiation committee has decided to separate the monthly salaries from the N10,000 palliative pending when conclusion is reached in order to prepare the Civil servants on knowing their exact salaries when the minimum wage is finally agreed upon.
He said, ” Effective from this month of August, the normal salary will be paid, then after two days the N10,000 palliative will be paid to help the worker know his actual salary and this will continue until the new minimum wage is agreed upon.
“We are now waiting for the salary table from the Federal Government before we commence the negotiation. Once we reach an agreement the implementation will begin and the N10,000 palliative will stop”.
The Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Gombe State Chapter, Mr. Yusuf Aish, confirmed that this was the position reached at the tripartite committee meeting on the new minimum wage.
He said, ” We had a brief discussion during our negotiation in the last N30,000 minimum wage due to some balance of some payment where we have agreed that this committee is a standing committee of minimum wage negotiation in the state. As a result , this same committee met to begin negotiation on the new N70,000 national minimum wage.
“However, in our tripartite committee meeting we have agreed to wait for the time the new minimum wage table as approved by the federal government will be released. Whenever it is released, we will start full negotiation with a view to reaching an agreement on what is to be paid in Gombe State”.
He also explained that civil servants will receive two alert messages beginning from this month of August, being the normal salary and that of N10,000 palliative, urging the civil servants to be patient pending when the negotiations will be concluded.
