The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a stern warning to the National Assembly, threatening to shut down the country for a month if they proceed with plans to deregulate the national minimum wage.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The union’s president, Joe Ajaero, made the statement at the 67th Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association Annual General Meeting in Lagos, where he condemned the proposed move to remove section 34 of the Constitution, which governs minimum wage.
According to Ajaero, the NLC will not accept any situation where state governors and National Assembly members impose a “slave wage” on workers, forcing poverty on citizens. He emphasized that every worker in Nigeria is entitled to equal pay for equal work, as enshrined in the Constitution.
Ajaero accused some governors of instigating the move to deregulate minimum wage, citing their inability to pay N60,000, which is already being proposed as the new minimum wage.
He warned that if this happens, workers will be forced to endure further hardship and exploitation.
According to punch newspaper, the labour leader also took aim at governors who claim that their revenue determines what they can pay workers, saying this is a lame argument and that they should use their capacity and acumen for the prosperity of their states.
Ajaero proposed that the government address the many options presented by the NLC before the removal of oil subsidies, which he believes would have saved Nigeria from its current economic challenges.
In a contradictory statement, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda, revealed that there is a proposal before the National Assembly Committees on Constitutional Review to move minimum wage from the exclusive list to the concurrent legislative list.
However, he advised that labour matters should remain on the exclusive list to prevent states from setting their own minimum wages.
The NLC’s threat comes amid ongoing negotiations between Organised Labour, the Federal Government, and Organised Private Sector to establish a new national minimum wage.
The labour union is resolute in its stance against deregulation and will not accept any attempt to impose a “slave wage” on workers.
