Fuel subsidy removal: Oyo Govt sets up minimum wage review C’tee

By David Adeoye

Oyo State Government on Monday set up a committee to review the N30,000 minimum wage to meet up with present day realities in view of the fuel subsidy removal.

Gov. Seyi Makinde set up the committee at a meeting with the leadership of the labour unions operating in the state and representatives of the government in Ibadan.

The organised labour leaders were drawn from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC); Trade Union Congress (TUC); Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT); National Union of Local government Employees (NULGE); Joint Health Sector Union, (JOHEASU); Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) and Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP).

Representatives of  government included the Head of Service; Permanent  Secretary Ministry of  Establishment and Training; Finance, Accountant-General and Director of Service Matters.

In his remarks, Makinde said the team has a mandate to agree on a workable new minimum wage and look out for ways the state could increase its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

The governor urged the committee to work on the new minimum wage that would move the state forward.

He maintained that there was no trust deficit between the government and labour in the state.

The governor said that his administration was poised  to increase state IGR to give the state leverage to do better in terms of meeting the needs of the people.

Commenting on behalf of the organised labour, the NLC Chairman, Mr Kayode Martins, said that review of the new wage was long overdue.

Martins assured the governor that the committee would do a thorough and acceptable review.

He used the opportunity of the meeting to appeal to the Federal Government to thread with caution in handling the issue of subsidy removal.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the committee has eight weeks to submit its reports.

(NAN)