Bimbola Oyesola
Labour is set to take its minimum wage struggle to the National Assembly, to lobby lawmakers to approve N30,000 for workers, President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Bobboi Kaigama, announced in Lagos, yesterday.
Kaigama disclosed this in a statement, yesterday.
He was reacting to the National Council of State approval of N30, 000 as minimum wage for federal workers and 27,000 for states, on January 22.
The Federal Government has been locked in negotiations with Organised Labour since 2016; over a long overdue new minimum wage for public sector workers.
“If President Muhammadu Buhari takes the N27, 000 agreed by the National Council of State to the lawmakers, organised labour will provide necessary documents and agreements reached by the Tripartite Committee to lobby for N30, 000. Nigeria has become the poorest country in the world. Yet, instead of approving a living wage for workers, the Presidency is hiding under the National Council of State to subvert N30,000 monthly National Minimum Wage recommended by the Tripartite Committee; after extensive consultations and deliberations including touring of the six geo-political zones of the country before it arrived at that figure.
“It is this type of decision that continues to make Nigeria a laughing stock before the comity of nations.”
A tripartite committee set up by the government on minimum wage sat for one year and recommended N30, 000, but the sum was rejected by many state governors, who said they cannot afford the new figure.
Kaigama said the decision of the Council of State would not be allowed to stand because it would set a wrong precedent for the future.
“After statutory bodies have done their jobs, council of state will now sit to review it. N30, 000 minimum wage is a product of negotiation, not legislation, not advice and not a decree,’’ he stated.
Similarly, President of the United Labour Congress, Mr. Joe Ajaero, described the decision by the council of state on the issue as illegal.
“If the federal government approved the payment of N27,000 to workers, it will be a wage award and not a national minimum wage because it negates the agreement reached by the National Tripartite Committee.’’
Ajaero said this would be the first time the council of state would play such a role as recommending a discriminatory minimum wage for the country.
Also, Head of the International Relations Unit of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Uche Ekwe, condemned the council’s decision on the matter and noted that it would be needless for any further meeting, either by the council of state or technical committee after the tripartite committee has concluded and reached an agreement.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) is also insisting on N30, 000 as the new minimum wage nationwide. NUT Secretary-General, Dr. Mike Ene, said the council should make the new minimum wage equal across board. “It is unfair and needed to be addressed immediately because, a worker is a worker everywhere in the country, either with the federal or state government. The N30, 000 translates to N1, 000 per day, we insist that the 30, 000 stands for all workers in the country,” Ene said. Workers in Nigeria currently receive N18, 000 as minimum wage. The figure came into effect in 2011, when former President Goodluck Jonathan signed it into law, raising the wage from the previous N7, 500.