Ajaero: NLC will resist minimum wage decentralisation in constitution review
Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NKC), says the union will resist any move by the national assembly to transfer labour issues, including the matter of the minimum wage, from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list.
Speaking in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital, during the national administrative council meeting of the central working committee (CWC) of the NLC, Ajaero warned that such a change would empower individual states to set their workers’ wages.
Describing the move as futile, he said the issue of minimum wage is treated globally as a national matter in line with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, which regard member countries as entities and not sub-national units such as states.
He noted that the plan by lawmakers is a calculated attempt to “bastardise” the national minimum wage structure and shift other labour-related responsibilities to the states.
“The national assembly should not go into this exercise in futility unless members will also allow their respective states to determine their wages,” Ajaero said.
“If they attempt to smuggle labour matters into the concurrent list, we will mobilise workers to protest against it, even up to election day.”
The NLC president reiterated that organised labour would firmly oppose any effort to undermine the minimum wage, calling on lawmakers to uphold justice and protect the interests of the citizens they represent.
“All over the world, there is a minimum wage for the protection of workers. In Nigeria, there is legislation for a minimum wage of N70,000,” he said.
“The law permits states to pay more than that, and in fact, many states currently pay above the minimum wage.”
Ajaero insisted that states must not be allowed to determine minimum wages independently, warning that such a move would endanger the welfare of average workers across the federation.
He also clarified that the NLC leadership is unaware of any state that had refused to pay the newly approved minimum wage.
On the issue of delayed implementation of local government autonomy, Ajaero stressed the need to approach the supreme court for further interpretation of its ruling to ensure full and proper enforcement, in line with constitutional provisions.
