Why governors flout minimum wage law – Onyeka

The Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Chris Onyeka, said that many state governors are flouting the Minimum Wage Act because they do not believe in the sanctity of the law.

Onyeka gave the position in Abuja on Monday in an interview on minimum wage law and its implementation.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, workers are anxiously awaiting a new minimum wage to be passed into law, meanwhile, 15 states are yet to implement the N30,000 wage enacted in 2019.

Even, with the increased revenue accruable to states after the fuel subsidy removal, and the attendant hardship brought about by the hike in pump price, the states are still recalcitrant in paying their workers the minimum wage.

According to NAN, the states yet to implement the minimum wage, in defiant of the 2019 Act, are, Abia, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Gombe, Niger, Borno, Sokoto, Anambra, Imo, Benue, Taraba and Zamfara.

Onyeka said, “A state Governor who does not believe in the sanctity of the laws will have a high proclivity to disobeying them.

“If you examine the history of some of these governors and their handlers, you will find a preponderance of those who came to power by breaking the laws.

“Is it now that they will obey the National Minimum Wage Act?”.

The labour leader said many governors were unwilling to pay civil servants their salaries because they see the state resources as theirs and are, therefore, not willing to share with the workers, who create the wealth.

“Some Governors believe, erroneously, that workers’ salaries can wait or be toyed with without consequences, so, they do not place priority on it.

“However, they forget that workers are human beings who need their salaries to meet their basic needs of life,” he said.

Onyeka added that fiscal indiscipline in many states is legendary, adding that, the personal greed of some governors resulted in their appropriating state resources into their private pockets.

The labour leader reiterated the need to cut the cost of governance at all levels and end wastage.

He identified the measures including, a reduction in the number of political appointees to reduce overhead, as well as a reduction in the number of logistics, official and operational vehicles.

Onyeka said the salaries and allowances of elected and appointed officials of the three arms of government should be in sync with what is receivable by civil servants.

He said government at all levels should streamline procurement processes to ensure integrity and accountability, fiscal discipline and transparency

“Governors should ensure budgetary fidelity, shun fund diversions and stop making provisions that allow for the looting of the states.

“They should stay more in their states, instead of constantly being in Abuja, spending a lot of money maintaining two state houses,” he said.

Speaking on what could be done to compel the governors to obey the minimum wage law, the labour leader said the principles of law enforcement should be deployed.

According to him, the National Minimum Wage Act has clauses that take care of monitoring and compliance, noting that, the challenge is at the level of enforcement.

“The Federal allocation to such states, once it is established that they are habitual breakers of the law, should be sequestered until they are compelled to pay.

“The labour unions should also be empowered and supported in their actions against such states to pay.

“The Judiciary should be strengthened, especially the National Industrial Court, to carry out its responsibilities effectively,

“The court should not only give rulings but also issue enforceable garnishee orders against such state governments,” he said

Onyeka further maintained that it is the right of organised labour to embark on strikes, and the federal government must give protection to workers so aggrieved, to freely exercise their legal right.

(NAN)