Organised labour is to push for what it called ‘living wage’ for Nigerian workers, as the Federal Government inaugurates the long awaited national minimum wage committee, in Abuja, today.
Labour leaders who spoke on Sunday said their negotiation would take into cognizance current economic realities – inflation, exchange rate and rising cost of living.
The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment last week announced a 30-member national minimum wage committee. The minimum wage committee is being constituted more than two years after the current minimum wage of N18,000 had been due for a review.
President Muhammadu Buhari is billed to inaugurate the tripartite committee at the State House, with membership drawn from federal and state governments, labour and organised private sector. The inauguration would set the stage for government, employers and labour representatives from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), among others, to begin discussion with the aim of agreeing on what would be a new minimum wage for the country.
The NLC and TUC had two years ago jointly proposed N56,000, while United Labour Congress (ULC) proposed N96,000.
Ayuba Wabba, president of the NLC said on Sunday that he was hopeful that the government and the OPS would accede to labour’s demand. “We will discuss with open mind to ensure that we achieve our aim and objective,’’ Wabba said.
He said the wage committee was long overdue and efforts would be made to fast track it to ensure that workers and pensioners get their accrued benefits. He said that labour would put their cards on the table and all parties would discuss the issues because the present exchange rate has made nonsense of the N56,000 earlier demanded by labour.
Igwe Achese, president, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) said he was expectant that the dream to give workers an improved welfare would be realised by the committee.
According to Achese, labour’s desire is to see workers earn a living wage.
Peter Ozo-Eson, general secretary of NLC, also said when the committee starts sitting, it would discuss many issues affecting the minimum wage and the way forward.
According to Ozo-Eson, it is over two years since the organised labour proposed N56,000 new minimum wage to the government, therefore, it will look at a number of socio-economic indices to take its action.
“We look forward to the inauguration which I believe will discuss the facts and economic realities when it starts negotiation. The meeting will not be base on the money proposed by the NLC/TUC but on what is on ground. A lot of facts will be traded when the committee starts meeting and I hope we will move forward from there,’’ he said.
He further said that the committee would not focus on the N56,000 or N96, 000 proposed by labour bodies but on the economic factors that would enable workers earn improved salary.
