Minimum Wage: You Can’t Dictate What to Pay, NLC Replies Governors

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected State governor’s position that they should be allowed to determine what amount to pay their workers as minimum wage.
The Tripartite Committee set up by the federal government had submitted its report to President Bola Tinubu after the government side and private sector employers jointly agreed on N62,000 as new national minimum wage with organised labour insisting on N250,000.

However, in a statement yesterday, signed by the Head of Information and Publicity, Benson Upah, the labour centre urged the governors to abandon any inclination towards dictatorial practices as the process remains a tripartite one.
The labour movement stated that it was compelled to address the recent statements made by some governors regarding their desire to pay what they deem fit to Nigerian workers as the minimum wage.

 The NLC stated: “This notion is not only dictatorial but also undermines the very essence as well as the model adopted for creating a national minimum wage in Nigeria.

“The concept of a national minimum wage is not arbitrary. It represents a national wage floor, a baseline below which no worker in the law should be paid.”
The NLC described a national minimum wage as a threshold and a collective agreement that ensures a minimum standard of living for every worker in the law.
“The Governors’ demand to unilaterally determine the minimum wage negates this principle and threatens the welfare of Nigerian workers and the national economy.

 “It is important to remind the Governors that the national minimum wage is not   synonymous with the individual pay structures of the states which they implement religiously, reflecting their unique financial capabilities and circumstances.
” This diversity in pay structures underscores the flexibility that already exists within the system, allowing states to reward their workers in alignment with their financial realities.

“Furthermore, the Governors’ argument appears inconsistent when juxtaposed with the remuneration of political  office holders,” it added.
NLC said that it is unfortunate that workers’ salaries were being viewed as charity rather than hard-earned income.

It said that the fate of Nigerian workers cannot be left solely in the hands of employers, whether public or private.
“No sane society does that. What the governors are asking for is akin to allowing numerous companies and organisations in Nigeria to pay workers whatever they like.
“While these companies may not pay the same salaries, they must adhere to the national wage floor, and the same should apply to state governors.

 “We urge President Tinubu who had promised a living wage (which is superior to a minimum wage) not to allow himself be blackmailed or boxed into a corner by unpatriotic governors.”