The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has ruled out a planned strike action for Tuesday to demand a new national minimum wage.
NLC President Joe Ajaero announced this on Monday during the ongoing International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
According to The Guardian, Ajaero explained that organized labour will not strike because the figures presented by the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage are currently with President Bola Tinubu.
He clarified that the proposed N62,000 by the government and the organized employers’ body, as well as the N250,000 proposed by labour, do not signify that labour has accepted the N62,000 figure as the new minimum wage.
Ajaero stated, “The tripartite committee submitted two figures to the President. Government and employers proposed N62,000 while labour proposed N250,000. We are waiting for the decision of the President. Our National Executive Council (NEC) will deliberate on the new figure when it is out.”
He added, “We cannot declare a strike now because the figures are with the President. We will wait for the President’s decision.
During the tenure of the immediate past President, the figure proposed to him was N27,000 by the tripartite committee, but he increased it to N30,000. We are hopeful that this President will do the right thing. The President had noted that the difference between N62,000 and N250,000 is a wide gulf.”
Ajaero also criticized state governors, under the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, for rejecting the N62,000 minimum wage proposal. He questioned how any governor could claim an inability to pay and rejected calls for the decentralization of the minimum wage.
“How can any governor say he cannot pay? They cannot also be calling for the decentralization of the minimum wage. Are their wages decentralized? Governors whose states are not contributing a dime to the national purse and who generate pitiable Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) are collecting the same amount as governors whose states are generating billions of dollars into the FAAC. They should decentralize their salaries and emoluments first.”
He praised Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki for his proactive approach, saying, “So, where is the governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki, getting his money from? He is paying N70,000 minimum wage. This is the type of governor that should be emulated and not the lazy ones.”
The labour leader’s remarks highlight the ongoing debate and tension surrounding the determination of a new national minimum wage in Nigeria, with all eyes now on President Tinubu’s forthcoming decision.
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