ITUC-Africa has followed the protracted campaign for a new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers. We rejoice with the NLC and Nigerian workers that after several delays and hiccups on the part of the Executive arm of government, a Bill for the promulgation of a new national minimum wage law has been forwarded by the President to the National Assembly.
We share the concerns and anxiety of the NLC and organized labour that the figures sent to the National Assembly are different from the N30,000 agreed at the tripartite negotiations. This sets a precedent that will undermine tripartism in the future, especially as it relates to fixing national minimum wage. It can also have negative implications for other agreements in industrial relations generally.
Further, the blank inclusion of N27,000 as the minimum monthly wage to be paid by the private sector, means that well established private employers like Dangote and Adenuga, dealing in cement, petroleum, telecommunications, etc, can refuse to pay beyond the N27,000 as minimum wage.
Again, in this digital age where an employer with less than 10 employees can have billions in dollar turnover, 25 as the number of employees an employer should have before applying the new national minimum wage is too high and unrealistic as benchmark for minimum wage coverage.
ITUC-Africa supports Nigerian unions under the leadership of the NLC in the struggle for a new and realistic national minimum wage.
ALUTA CONTINUA!
Kwasi Adu-Amankwah
General Secretary
