The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, says it will oppose any attempt by the National Assembly to remove labour matters, including the minimum wage, from the exclusive legislative list of the Federal Government to the concurrent list, where individual states would determine their workers’ wages.
Speaking on Friday during a meeting of the National Administrative Council (NAC) of the Central Working Committee in Abeokuta, Ogun State, NLC President Joe Ajaero made it clear that the union would not sit back and allow such a move. He stated that changing the current wage structure would harm workers across the country and create inequality in pay and working conditions.
Ajaero described the plan as one that would not succeed. He noted that, around the world, the minimum wage is considered a national issue, and this is supported by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions. These conventions, he explained, deal with countries as single entities and not as individual states or provinces.
According to Ajaero, what the lawmakers are trying to do is to weaken the national wage structure and shift key labour responsibilities to state governments. He also said that there is a plan to create state-level industrial courts that would have the power to deal with labour disputes, especially those involving wages. This idea, he said, goes against international labour rules.
“The National Assembly should not go into this exercise in futility unless members will also allow their respective states to determine their wages,” Ajaero stated.
He added that the NLC will stand firm and ensure that the rights of Nigerian workers are protected. He said that allowing states to decide their minimum wages could lead to a situation where some workers are paid far less than others for doing the same job, depending on where they live.
