NLC, TUC Send Fresh Warning to Tinubu Over Minimum Wage
- President Bola Tinubu has been warned against sending an executive bill on new minimum wage to the National Assembly without consulting the labour
- The NLC and TUC said it was imperative for the president to consult them and the organised private sector before submitting a specific figure to the National Assembly
- According to the unions, proper consultations on the new minimum wage would lead to industrial harmony in Nigeria
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Organised Labour has called on President Bola Tinubu to consult it (the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress) and the Organised Private Sector (OPS) before submitting any figure as a new minimum wage to the National Assembly.
The two labour centres said this would help maintain industrial harmony in the country.
Source: Twitter
Minimum wage: Why Tinubu should consult NLC, TUC
According to Daily Trust, labour said it would demand the payment of minimum wage arrears no matter how long it takes to sign the new minimum wage into law.
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The Presidents of NLC and TUC, Joe Ajaero and Festus Osifo, said this on Thursday, June 13, on the sideline of the ongoing International Labour Conference organised by the International Labour Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland.
Last Friday, June 7, both the Federal Government and OPS agreed on N62,000 as a new minimum wage, while Labour insisted on N250,000.
The tripartite committee set up to negotiate a new minimum wage recommended the two figures to President Tinubu.
Why workers can demand new minimum wage anytime
Speaking at the joint briefing, Ajaero explained that workers must demand payment of minimum wage arrears regardless of when a new national minimum wage law was passed by the National Assembly.
The labour leader stated that labour expected the President to invite tripartite bodies to a meeting to discuss the ability to pay before arriving at a final figure.
His statement reads in part:
“We do not expect the President to present a final figure to the National Assembly without consulting with organised labour, employers, and state governors. Everyone will still come together to discuss before transmission to the National Assembly.”
Lawyer reacts to minimum wage controversy
Reacting to the situation, Okanlawon Gaffar, a legal practitioner, told Legit.ng in an interview that the federal government should not determine what the state can pay as minimum wage.
He stated:
"Each state should be able to determine its own minimum wage based on its capacity. If Lagos can pay N150,000 as minimum wage and a state like Katsina can pay N30,000, so be it. States still make their own money despite receiving allocations from Abuja."
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Tinubu announces conclusion on minimum wage discussion
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Tinubu had announced the conclusion of negotiations on the new minimum wage with organised labour and the private sector.
The president, in his address on Democracy Day, said an executive bill will soon be sent to the National Assembly to enshrine the new minimum wage into the Nigerian law.
However, Tinubu did not mention what was agreed upon as the new minimum wage with organised labour.
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Source: Legit.ng
