VANGUARD
LAGOS — Organised Labour was divided, yesterday, over what the new minimum wage should be. The lack of unanimity was evident at public hearings organised by the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, TCNMW, across four of the six geo-political zones of the country.
In the South-West, while leaders of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, proposed N794,000, those of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, proposed N497,000 as minimum wage as the Director-General, Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, MINILS, Ilorin, Kwara State, Comrade Issa Aremu, said the range should be between N120,000 and N200,000.
In the South-East, the NLC said it preferred the new minimum wage to be N540,000, while the TUC suggested N447,000.
However, South-South workers proposed N850,000, with their North-West counterparts angling for N485,000 minimum wage.
This happened as North-West governors shunned the parley with their South-West colleagues, saying it will be hard to sustain higher wages for their workers without a significant adjustment in some of the narratives in the national economy, such as revenue sharing formula.
However, Governors Douye Diri (Bayelsa) and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom) promised to abide by the resolutions of the parleys.
Drama in South-West
The differences in the proposals of the NLC and TUC in the South-West came as governors from the zone said the majority of governments in the zone could hardly sustain improved wages and salaries for workers as things stand now.
Organised Labour is advocating a N500,000 minimum wage, following the submission of proposals by state chapters to the headquarters of the congress.
The hearing is aimed at hammering out a new minimum wage that aligns with the current economic conditions and meets the expectations of workers.
On the government’s part, the argument was that even though workers deserve a new wage, each state should be allowed to negotiate with its respective workers because of its peculiarities.
However, labour unions described the stance of some governors’ inability to pay minimum wage as “unacceptable.”
These were the high points of the South-West, geo-political zone public hearings organised by the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, TCNMW, and chaired by the Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun. The hearing was held at LTV Ground, Agindingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.
The chairman of Lagos State NLC, Mrs. Funmi Sessi, recommended payment of at least N794,000 minimum wage for workers and appealed to the Federal Government to ensure that the national minimum wage remains on the exclusive list.
Sessi also suggested that a review of the minimum wage should be every two years instead of the current five years.
Sessi asked for a 13 per cent derivation for Lagos State because of its peculiarities, noting Lagos needs to conform to the standards of other cities of the world.
On his part, the representative of TUC, Mr Gbenga Ekundayo, called for an annual review of minimum wage as stated in Section 3(4) of the National Minimum Wage Act; and advocated for N497,000 new minimum wage.
Organised private sector
To the Director-General, Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, MINILS, Ilorin, Kwara State, Comrade Issa Aremu: “in real-time, the purchasing power of workers has been eroded. The two scriptures recognize the payment of workers. If you pay workers very well, it is Godly. It is also good economically because workers are meant to purchase goods and services.
“To get the minimum wage right, you must talk about affordability. We should be realistic on what will keep workers alive and at the same time sustain the establishments. I think we should be talking in the range of N120,000 to N200,000.”
Others who spoke at the South-West hearing include Professor Adejumo Akintoye, who represented the Congress of Nigerian University Academics, CONUA; Mr Tayo Adelaja, who represented the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN; Vice-President (South-West zone) Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, NASME, Mr Solomon Aderoju, who lamented that firms and workers are facing hard times in the country.
S’West govs list challenges of meeting minimum wage
Speaking on behalf of his South-West colleagues, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, said: “The committee on the proposed New Minimum Wage was established by the Federal Government and I was appointed to represent governors from the South-West geopolitical zone.
“In all our meetings and various deliberations, one thing that the committee has been able to establish is that the workers in Nigeria are due for an improved welfare package.
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