The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to shut down the country for 30 days if the National Assembly proceeds with plans to deregulate the national minimum wage.
This threat comes as negotiations for a new minimum wage between labor unions, the Federal Government, and the private sector are ongoing.
NLC President Joe Ajaero expressed the union’s stance during the 67th Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association Annual General Meeting in Lagos. He revealed that a joint committee from the Senate, House of Representatives, and the Judiciary is considering removing section 34 from the Exclusive Legislative List to allow state governors to set their own minimum wages.
“They have decided to remove section 34 from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List so that state governors can determine what to pay you, and so there will be no minimum wage again,” Ajaero said. “If the House of Representatives and the Senate pass such a law, there will be no movement for one month. We cannot accept any situation where the governors and National Assembly members force a slave wage on workers.”
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Ajaero emphasized that decentralizing the wage system would lead to inequality and unfair treatment of workers across different states. “Decentralizing wages to pay someone here less than what another person is receiving elsewhere is against the concept of equity and equality before the law,” he stated.
He also highlighted that the International Labour Organisation recognizes wages as a national law, not something to be managed by individual states. “Every country has a minimum wage, and some states pay higher than the basic minimum wage. This is the position of the law everywhere,” Ajaero noted.
The NLC President accused certain governors of bad faith, claiming they are unwilling to pay the proposed N60,000 minimum wage. He warned that the labor movement would resist any attempt to impose unfair wages on workers, stating, “We will not accept slave wages. Any attempt to discredit Nigerian workers will be first resisted by the NLC.”
Ajaero urged governors to use their capacities to improve their states’ prosperity instead of lamenting their inability to pay fair wages. “Governors can do better and should stop lamenting. Lamentation year in and year out that they can’t pay will not work as long as there is money for them to control,” he cautioned.
Meanwhile, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Kingsley Chinda, confirmed that there is a proposal to move the minimum wage from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent Legislative List, allowing states to legislate on labor matters. However, he advised that labor issues should remain on the exclusive list to maintain standardization and prevent the weakening of the labor movement.
“The Federal Government should consider a minimum living wage for all workers, both public and private. States or firms can go above the set wage but not below,” Chinda said. “A decentralized system will weaken the labor movement and affect checks on the government. Governors are more likely to pocket the labor union in their states.”