The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Dr Chibuzo Okereke, has promised to scrap the minimumwage, saying what Nigerian workers really need is a living wage, and workable social system that make their lives easy to live.
Okereke made the assertion while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, noting that the minimumwage does not,among other things, consider the inflationary factors, which reduce what such wage award can buy as soon as it’s decalred by the government, adding that other broader social-econmic factors should be considered.
Acording to the LP presidential candidate, a living wage should not be reduced to fixing a particular monetary figure, arguing that workers’ welfare must encompass decent pay, housing, healthcare, food security, job security, social protection and a safe working environment.
He said his government, if elected next year, will push for a living-wage-law toreplace the current minimum-wage-law currenlty operation in the country, where the government has pegged the monthly minimumwage of a Nigerian worker at N700, 000.
“When we have a living-wage law, you will see that the question of when we come to negotiate will disappear,”he said.
He stressed that the irreducible minimum for Nigerian workers should be “equal opportunity, functional social welfare and a fair reward system” adding that workers’ take-home pay must also be capable of responding to changes in the cost of living, because rising commodities prices could quickly erode the value of any fixed wage.
“If somebody bought this phone for ₦20,000 today and tomorrow the phone is ₦50,000, already the cost of things is rising. There should be different ways to make consequential adjustments,” he said.
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