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Fashola Debunks Claims By Opposition On Minimum Wage

By Kamal Tayo Oropo
04 April 2015   |   11:03 pm
The Lagos State Government at the weekend debunked the propaganda of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on minimum wage in the state’s civil service, saying the State Government remains the first State in the Federation that implemented the Federal Government approved Minimum Wage structure.
Fashola

Fahola

The Lagos State Government at the weekend debunked the propaganda of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on minimum wage in the state’s civil service, saying the State Government remains the first State in the Federation that implemented the Federal Government approved Minimum Wage structure.

Barely a week before the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in the State, the Candidate of the PDP in the State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has placed posters in the environs of the State Secretariat, Alausa,  promising to implement the national minimum wage and pay leave allowances to the public servants if voted in as Governor of the State.

But a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Mr. Hakeem Bello,  explained that the  administration of Mr. Babatunde Fashola, was not only the first to implement the Minimum Wage structure but also added to the N18,000 Minimum Wage across board, a gesture for which the Public Servants commended the administration.

The statement recalled that the issue of minimum wage was settled on Tuesday, February 7, 2011, when the State Government signed an agreement with the 14 approved labour unions in the State Civil Service to pay N18,780 to the lowest paid of its workers.

The agreement, brokered by the then Commissioner for Establishment and Training, Mr. Jide Sanwoolu, according to the statement , increased the minimum wage of the lowest paid worker in the employment of the government by 69.6 percent which is a 7.6 percent increase over the Federal Government approved National Minimum Wage.

Apart from commendations from the national leadership of the labour unions then, the statement  also recalled  the Chairman of the Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) of the approved labour unions, Comrade Henry Akinwunmiju, as thanking the State Government “for its magnanimity in not only meeting the workers’ demands but going beyond to give more than the Federal Government”.

It also quoted the Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which was part of the negotiating team, Comrade Akeem Kazeem, as also thanking the State Government then “for the understanding it has shown concerning the workers’ demands” adding that “what has happened in Lagos State as regards the negotiations was worthy of emulation by other states of the Federation”.

Governor Fashola also repudiated the insinuation that the APC Governorship Candidate was dismissed from the State’s Civil Service, describing it as one of the many lies of the ruling party aimed at deceiving voters into voting for them. He explained that Mr. Akin Ambode retired voluntarily from the Public Service after 27 years of meritorious service to the State adding that he (Governor) wrote him a letter of commendation.

The Governor, who called on Lagosians to ignore such lies and others that would likely come from the party in the run up to Saturday’s Governorship election, noted that the PDP had done nothing in the last 16 years but lie to Nigerians about practically everything including the state of the economy and the security situation as well as other sensitive issues that affect the lives of the people.

Urging the people not to be deceived by such lies, Governor Fashola pointed out that in the last 16 years, the PDP-controlled Federal Government had ignored the State in Federal appointments and not only failed to maintain its numerous infrastructure in the State but refused to pay back to the State the money it has spent, amounting to N51 billion, in maintaining Federal assets in the State including roads and bridges. \

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