NLC suggests N200,000 minimum wage ahead of talks with FG
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced that it has inaugurated a team to negotiate with the Federal Government on the minimum wage.
In an interview with Vanguard, Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, suggested that, should organised labour have its way, the minimum salary in the future in the West African country might not be less than N200,000.
This follows the announcement by President Bola Tinubu in his New Year address that his administration will implement a “national living wage” this year.
Speaking on the setting up of the committee for the negotiation exercise, Ajaero said, “The committee has not been set up but we have submitted all the names of the labour team. We thought that the government would have, on the first week of December 2023 or the last week of November, constituted the committee but, as of today (last Thursday), the committee has not been constituted. That is the situation but we have submitted the names, of those who are supposed to represent labour in the committee.”
On the potential timeframe to implement the minimum wage, Ajaero said “I am sure you have read our New Year message. The government virtually reneged in all the agreements including the N35,000 (petrol subsidy palliative) wage award on which they paid only one month. They are going to start the year with the payment of the arrears. That is where we will start from; we have to start from where we stopped moving forward.”
“Well, I didn’t just say N200,000. I tried to figure out the value of $200 then. So, if you are looking at the constant variables from the point of view of two hundred dollars, you will discover that a dollar is around a thousand two hundred naira now. You have to adjust based on the prevailing circumstances,” Ajaero spoke on how much the minimum wage should be.
On what the NLC is considering while negotiating for the new minimum wage, he said, “A lot. We have said it before. Cost of living, devaluation of the currency and the labour market vis a vis the countries that share the same value with us: The oil-exporting countries and some other countries that share the same economic indices with us. All those issues must come into play.
“The projection is what I have told you. I have mentioned it to you. I have mentioned the value of the currency as of today. I mentioned about $200 and the value, we discussed it.”
