By By Habeeb Ibrahim
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced that it will not be going on strike tomorrow, Tuesday, over the minimum wage dispute.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, made this announcement at the ongoing International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
Ajaero explained that the figures are currently with the President, and the NLC is hopeful that he will make the right decision.
He recalled that during the previous administration, the tripartite committee proposed a minimum wage of N27,000, which was later increased to N30,000 by the President.
Ajaero expressed frustration that some governors are claiming they cannot pay the proposed minimum wage, while also advocating for the decentralization of the minimum wage.
He argued that governors who are not contributing to the national purse and have low Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) should not be receiving the same amount as governors whose states are generating billions of dollars.
Ajaero singled out Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, as an example of a governor who is paying a higher minimum wage of N70,000 and should be emulated.
“We cannot declare strike now because the figures are with the President.”
“During the tenure of the immediate past President, the figure that was proposed to him was N27,000 by the tripartite committee but he increased it to N30,000. We are hopeful that this President will do the right thing. The President had noted that the difference between N62,000 and N250,000 is a wide gulf,”
“How can any governor say he cannot pay? They cannot also be calling for the decentralization of the minimum wage.
“Are there wages decentralized? Governors whose states are not contributing a dime to the national purse and who generate pitiable Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) are collecting the same amount as governors whose states are generating billions of dollars into the FAAC.
“They should decentralize their salaries and emoluments first.”
“So, where is the governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki getting his money from? He is paying N70,000 minimum wage. This is the type of governor that should be emulated and not the lazy ones.”
Meanwhile, the Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, Chris Onyeka, has stated that the proposed minimum wages of N62,000 and N100,000 are insufficient and hinted at a possible resumption of the strike.
Onyeka warned that if the Federal Government and National Assembly do not respond to Labour’s request for a minimum wage of N250,000 by Tuesday, the NLC and TUC will convene to determine whether to resume the nationwide strike that was temporarily halted last week.
