Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has ruled out a strike action for tomorrow, Tuesday, to demand a new national minimum wage.
Ajaero announced this today, Monday, at the ongoing International Labour Conference (ILC) organized by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland.
He clarified that the submission of N62,000 proposed by the government and employers’ body, and the N250,000 proposed by labor, does not mean labor is accepting N62,000 as the new minimum wage.
SEE ALSO: ‘It Is Not Sustainable’ – 36 State Governors Reject ₦60,000 Minimum Wage
He stated, “The tripartite committee submitted two figures to the President. The government and employers proposed N62,000 while labor proposed N250,000. We are waiting for the President’s decision. Our National Executive Council (NEC) will deliberate on the new figure once it is announced.”
Regarding the expiration of the one-week ‘relaxation’ of the suspended strike set to resume on Tuesday, Ajaero said, “We cannot declare a strike now because the figures are with the President. We will wait for the President’s decision.”
“During the tenure of the previous President, the tripartite committee proposed a figure of N27,000, but he increased it to N30,000. We hope the current President will do the right thing. The President noted that the difference between N62,000 and N250,000 is substantial.”
The NLC leader also criticized the governors of the 36 states under the Nigerian Governors’ Forum for rejecting the N62,000 proposal, saying, “How can any governor say he cannot pay? They should not be calling for the decentralization of the minimum wage.
“Are wages decentralized? Governors whose states are not contributing anything to the national purse and generate minimal Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) are receiving 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 a N70,000 minimum wage. This is the type of governor that should be emulated, not the lazy ones.”
