Minimum wage: Ajimobi, Makinde bikers over who negotiates with labour

Following his earlier promise to make workers in the state happier as soon as the federal government approves the N30,000 national minimum wage, the Oyo state government said it will on Monday open up discussions with labour leaders on the modalities for the implementation of the new wage.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi had on January 8, this year assured the labour leaders on the implementation when the workers visited his Agodi, Ibadan office during a peaceful protest to demand the implementation of N30,000 as the new national minimum wage.

The new minimum wage was approved and signed by President Muhammad Buhari on April 18, 2019 for immediate implementation.

The notice of the meeting was conveyed in a congratulatory message sent to the labour leaders by the Oyo state government on the successful conduct of its state congress which produced Comrade Titiola Sodo as the new NLC state chairman.

The message was signed by the State’s Information Commissioner, Mr Toye Arulogun.

But, in a swift reaction, the Governor-Elect, Mr Seyi Makinde cautioned the outgoing Ajimobi’s administration against negotiating the implementation of the new minimum wage with the labour unions.

Makinde, in a statement by his spokesperson, Prince Dotun Oyelade “queried the intention and sincerity of the outgoing government to open negotiation with the labour unions on the implementation of N30,000 minimum wage in Oyo come this Monday which is exactly 30 days to the exit of the Governor Abiola Ajimobi led outgoing administration.

The governor-elect stressed that there ”is nothing the lame duck government wants to achieve other than to complicate things for the In-coming government in exactly the same manner it is doing in awarding fresh contracts and rolling out largesse to fellow politicians and friends .”

Emphasizing that he looks forward to a progressive relationship with the new Sodo led NLC excos, Makinde warns against what he described as “any booby traps in the planned negotiation by the outgoing government.”

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The Governor-elect pointed out that he was satisfied with the level of rapport he had with the NLC during and after the election and hope that this will be maintained as the new NLC executive assumes the mantle of leadership.

He reiterated his commitment towards ensuring that nothing short of the interest of workers will be acceptable to his administration as he applauded the rancour-free consensus that heralded the new Chairman as a good sign that democratic maturity has always been a virtue of the NLC, saying he believes that the new NLC leadership is circumspect enough to understand the ongoing theatrics.