NLC insists on N30, 000 minimum wage

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has maintained that it will not accept any minimum wage below N30, 000 in line with recommendation of the tripartite committee.

It thereby placed workers nationwide on red alert for a total industrial action.

NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who briefed newsmen after an emergency meeting of the Central Working Committee of the Congress on Friday, said the ILO Conventions guiding negotiations on minimum wage does not allow one party to change the figures agreed upon after negotiations.

He stated the process of changing the figure agreed upon after negotiations must follow the same process of negotiations in accordance with international best practices and in accordance with ILO Convention.

Wabara insisted that even the N30, 000 agreed to by the tripartite committee was a compromise position for which labour should be commended as it is still less than $100 when compared the current exchange rate.

He said:  “This is the resolution that has just been adopted by a meeting of the Central Working Committee of the Nigeria Labour Congress.

“The meeting deliberated on a one item agenda which is the issue of the transmission of the national minimum wage bill to the National Assembly.

“The meeting reviewed the whole situation including that fact that what was agreed at the tripartite negotiation meeting of the review of the minimum wage was N30, 000.

“It is actually out of place and out of procedure for that figure to be reduced to N27, 000.

“The reasons are the tripartite, going by the ILO Convention, having agreed in a figure. It cannot be changed by any of the parties except through the same process because government as an employer cannot unilaterally change the figure that has been agreed upon at the tripartite.

“This is about procedure and about law and so, we frown against that and has rejected the issue of reducing the figure to N27, 000.

“We still maintain that what was the outcome of the minimum wage tripartite negotiation committee is N30, 000 and on that we stand.”

He added: “We have agreed to mobilise and engage on the issue, particularly at the level of the National Assembly and that the outcome of the negotiations be respected. We call on members of the National Assembly to do the needful.

“We have also put all our members on alert and if that is not done, we will mobilise to take appropriate action that is desirable to actually protect and ensure the sacrosancy of the minimum wage Tripartite process.

“That has been the procedure from time past and inn tandem with the ILO provisions on minimum wage setting mechanism.

“We have also agreed that in Monday, we will mobilise and attend the public hearing by the House of Representatives to make sure the right thing is done.

“We call on all of them, being representatives of the people to respect the outcome of the tripartite negotiation process and importantly is the fact that when you look at N30, 000 in the context of today’s economy is a compromise position that ought to be commended.”