- Tripartite Committee Submits Report To FG
- Labour Rules Out Strike On Tuesday, Awaits Tinubu’s Decision
- States Needs To Weed Out Ghost Workers-SDP
For the second time this month, there are anxiety that economic activities in the country might again be grounded as Organized labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other affiliate bodies have disclosed that they will not accept any N62,000 or N100,000 “starvation wage” as the minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
On June 3rd 2024, organized labour embarked on a nationwide strike that paralysed activities across the country as airports were shut, the national grid was also shut while some hospitals were also prevented from carrying out full services.
After much persuasion, labour agreed to relax the strike action for a week to reach an agreement on the new minimum wage, however at the expiration of the one week’s grace on 12:00 midnight, June 11, an agreement is yet to be reached triggering concerns that labour might resume the relaxed strike.
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This was further buttressed by Chris Onyeka, Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, while appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme disclosed that the one-week grace period given to the Federal Government last Tuesday, June 4, 2024, would expire by the midnight of Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
According to him, should the Federal Government and National Assembly fail to act on the demands of workers by tomorrow (Tuesday), the organs of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, would meet to decide on the resumption of the nationwide industrial action relaxed last week.
“Our position is very clear. We have never considered accepting N62,000 or any other wage that we know is below what we know is able to take Nigerian workers home. We will not negotiate a starvation wage.
“We have never contemplated N100,000 let alone N62,000. We are still at N250,000, that is where we are, and that is what we considered enough concession to the government and the other social partners in this particular situation. We are not just driven by frivolities but the realities of the market place; realities of things we buy every day, bag of rice, yam, garri, and all of that.
READ ALSO: NLC, TUC Threaten To Shut Down Dams Over Electricity Tariff Hike
“The Federal Government and the National Assembly have the call now. It is not our call. Our demand is there for them (the government) to look at and send an Executive Bill to the National Assembly, and for the National Assembly to look at what we have demanded, the various facts of the law, and then come up with a National Minimum Act that meets our demands.”
He continued: “If that does not meet our demand, we have given the Federal Government a one-week notice to look at the issues and that one week expires tomorrow (Tuesday). If after tomorrow, we have not seen any tangible response from the government, the organs of the Organised Labour will meet to decide on what next.
“It was clear what we said. We said we are relaxing a nationwide indefinite strike. It’s like putting a pause on it.
“So, if you put a pause on something and the organs that govern us as trade unions decide that we should remove that pause, it means that we go back to what was in existence before.”
However, NLC has assured that strike action won’t commence today (Tuesday) to demand a new national minimum wage.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, made this known on Monday during the ongoing International Labour Conference taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.
Ajaero said organised labour cannot embark on strike today because the figures presented by the Tritiparte committee on minimum wage are with President Bola Tinubu.
He clarified that the submission of N62,000 as proposed by the government and the organized employers’ body with labour proposing N250,000 does not translate to labour accepting N62,000 as the new minimum wage.
He said: “The tripartite committee submitted two figures to the President. Government and employers proposed N62,000 while labour proposed N250,000. We are waiting for the decision of the President. Our National Executive Council (NEC) will deliberate on the new figure when it is out.
“We cannot declare a strike now because the figures are with the President. We will wait for the President’s decision.
READ ALSO: WAEC Pleads With NLC: “ Strike Should Not Interfere With Examinations”
Meanwhile, the tripartite committee set up by the federal government to review the minimum wage for workers has submitted its report to George Akume, Secretary To The Government Of The Federation (SGF).
A statement issued on Monday by Segun Imohiosen, director of information and public relations in the office of the SGF, said a formal presentation of the report will be made to President Bola Tinubu soon.
Imohiosen said a formal presentation of the report will also be made to representatives of organised labour and the private sector, who are currently at the ongoing International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
The SGF commended Bukar Goni Aji, chairman of the committee, for his commitment to the assignment.
In a related development, Shehu Gabam, the national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), charged the federal government not to pay less than N100,000 as the minimum wage to workers.
Gabam spoke during a programme on Channels Television recently.
“For me, what I think at this stage is that the government should do something above N100,000,” the SDP chairman said.
“It is reasonably okay. It makes a little bit of sense. People can breathe and people can go to work without thinking of sabotaging the institutions.
“You are paying civil servants and other private employees just N30,000. And then, when you go to the market, there is nothing that you can get at the cost of N30,000.
“Any serious governor that can put his priorities right can pay N60,000 comfortably.”
He said if ghost workers are purged from the system, states can pay it.
The tragedy is that the majority of the problems we are having today are from the states. The governors are contributing largely to the problem.
“This government initiated this crisis by removing the fuel subsidy and naturally, they don’t need to be told that there are consequences that will follow.
“What we expected is that by the time the government made up its mind to remove the fuel subsidy and the pains that would follow thereafter, the consumption rates, the supply rates, and the demand rates of the nation, no one can stand it.”
