Minimum wage: NLC draws battleline, says govs dictatorial position won’t work

… States should pay according to capacity, govs insist

Palpable crisis appears to be brewing between the organised labour and the 36 states of the federation, following the decision of the governors to pay the new minimum wage according to the capacity of each state.

While the federal government agreed to offer the Nigerian workers N62, 000 after series of negotiations, the organised labour is insisting on a N250, 000 living wage.

The federal government had on Tuesday stepped down a memo for the transmission of an Executive Bill on the National Minimum Wage to the National Assembly to enable President Bola Tinubu consult further, especially with the state governors and the organised private sector.

This, Blueprint Weekend learnt, resulted in the meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Wednesday, in Abuja, at the end of which the NGF agreed that each state should decide on how much salary it would be able to pay its workers.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has however described as dictatorial the suggestion by state governors, saying the claim is against the concept of the living wage currently under negotiation.

…FEC directive

Addressing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Ahmed Tinubu, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said an executive bill on the minimum wage would be sent to the National Assembly after the wider consultations by the president.

He said the wider consultations by the president was necessary because the new national minimum wage wasn’t just an issue for the federal government but also affects state governments, local governments and the private sector.

“I want to inform Nigerians here that the Federal Executive Council deliberated on that (report of the Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage) and the decision is that because the new national minimum wage is not just that of the federal government, it is an issue that involves the federal government, the state governments, local governments, and the organized private sector and of course, including the organised labour.

“That memo was stepped down to enable Mr. President to consult further, especially with the state governors and the organised private sector, before he makes a presentation to the National Assembly, before an executive bill is presented to the National Assembly.

“So, I want to state that on the new national minimum wage, Mr. President is going to consult further so that he can have an informed position because the new national minimum wage, like I said, is not just an issue of the federal government.

“It affects the state governments, it affects the local governments, it also affects the organized private sector, and that is why it is called national minimum wage. It’s not just an affair of the federal government.

“So, Mr. President has studied the report and he’s going to consult wider before a final submission is being made to the National Assembly,” he said.

Govs’ position

Following this decision, the state governors went into an intensive meeting on Wednesday night that they would continue to engage stakeholders to reach a mutually agreeable solution to the new minimum wage crisis.

Rising from the meeting of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) in Abuja in the early hours of Thursday, the governors of the 36 states of the federation promised to remain dedicated to the process and assured that better wages would result from the ongoing negotiations.

The governors in a 16-point communiqué advocated that each state be allowed to negotiate the new wage with the labour unions.

“The Forum discussed the minimum wage issues demanded by labour and unanimously agreed that the minimum wage should be reflective of the cost of living and that each state should be allowed to negotiate its minimum wage. This led to the forum’s discussion on fiscal federalism and devolution of powers,” the communiqué signed by the NGF chairman and governor of Kwara state, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq stated.

…Labour disagrees