The Lagos unions, however, added that their intention wasn’t to undermine the governor’s right to make public statements on governance matters
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Lagos State Public Service Joint Negotiating Council has said the announcement of N85,000 minimum wage approval by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu caught them unawares and that they were not expecting him to make such a pronouncement.
According to NAN, the council made this known in a statement signed by all chairpersons and secretaries of the union on Thursday.
The Lagos unions include Olusegun Balogun and Aladetan Abiodun, both representing the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter.
TheNiche had earlier reported that Sanwo-Olu, during an interview on a television station, announced that his administration would pay workers a minimum wage of N85,000.
He said: “I’m glad to let you know that the minimum wage for Lagos, which we have discussed with our union, is N85,000 today.”
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The Lagos governor went on to add that the state wasn’t showing off and that it agreed to pay the amount because it has the capacity to do so.
Reacting to the development, Lagos unions representing workers in the state said that they learnt of the N85,000 minimum wage approval through the mass media.
“To provide context, on Monday, October 16, 2024, at approximately 4 pm, the union received a call inviting us to a meeting to discuss the minimum wage.
“As a responsible representative of the workforce, we attended the meeting. However, we made it clear that formal discussions could not proceed in the absence of all relevant stakeholders.
“In line with best practices and in the spirit of social dialogue, we insisted that negotiations should be inclusive.
“As a result, the meeting was adjourned to October 21, 2024, at 10 am. The public announcement of any figure was, therefore, unexpected,” it said.
The unions, however, added that its comments did not undermine the governor’s right to make public statements on governance matters.