Threatens a short down of the economy
Ime Akpan
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected the N27, 000 approved by the National Council of State on Tuesday as the national minimum wage.
It would be recalled that the council had, on Tuesday, approved N27, 000 as the wage for the least paid workers in the country.
The decision was reached at the council’s meeting held at the Presidential Villa on with former presidents and military heads of states, governors and the leadership of the national assembly in attendance.
The figure is N3, 000 short of the N30, 000 initially recommended by the Tripartite Committee on Review of National Minimum Wage chaired by a former head of service of the federation, Ms Amma Pepple.
Reacting to the development, NLC general secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, said the labour union rejected the decision of the council in its entirety stressing that the council has no jurisdiction to determine another amount after a Tripartite Committee had submitted its report.
“It is abysmal of government to be delaying the submission of an Executive Bill to the National Assembly and by wrongfully adopting N27, 000 through the council of state.”
Ozo-Eson said the NLC had called an emergency national executive council meeting for Friday to weigh on the deadline given to the government within which to submit an executive bill to the national assembly.
The NLC general secretary added that the federal government was only projecting a shutdown of the economy with its latest action.
“This is because workers should not be held responsible for any development after its NEC meeting on Friday,” he said.
Similarly, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) rejected the recommendation that the national monthly minimum wage be raised to N27, 000 from N18, 000.
The congress said which represents senior civil servants, said agreeing on a minimum wage was a product of negotiations and that N30,000 had been agreed on and not N27,000.
For Ebonyi State chairman of the NLC, Mr. Leonard Nkah, it is not yet time to for the Nigerian workers to celebrate the N27, 000 minimum wage for workers.
Nkah said in Abakaliki that the wage approved by the council falls below the expectations and demands of organised labour.
He said the national leadership of labour unions in Nigeria had kicked against the development and noted that NLC in Ebonyi was supportive of the position.
“The Tripartite Committee on the Review of National Minimum Wage for Nigerian workers which comprised representatives from government, organised labour and the organised private sector had agreed on N30, 000.
“This report was adopted by another review committee set up to look into the recommendations of the tripartite committee which was finally submitted to the presidency.
“The position of labour is that the N30, 000 already adopted by members of the committee should have been adopted by NCS as the body is not empowered under the labour law to alter decisions of the tripartite committee.
“Labour in Ebonyi therefore align itself to the position of the national leadership on the issue, we will not be at variance with them, we will support the national leadership and wait until they get to the end of the matter, ” Nkah said.
