Amidst Nigerians expectations for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to announce the new minimum wage, the Organised Labour in the country has threatened to shut down the country for one month.
The threats comes amidst suggestion that the National Assembly is planning to deregulate the minimum wage so that states and federal government can chose what they can pay to their workers.
The magazine reported that the negotiation over the new minimum wage between the Organises Labour, federal and state government and the representatives of the private sector broke down last month after the state governments said they cannot pay the N62, 000 recommended by the federal government.
The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, are demanding N250,000 new wage for Nigerian workers.
President Tinubu after meeting with the leadership of the union in Aso Rock, Presidential Villa last week promised to announce the new wage this week.
Speaking on Tuesday in Lagos, on the sideline of the NLC 67th Annual General Meeting, AGM, Ajaero said the union will resist any move to deregulate the minimum wage, saying the issue is a national problem.
As the nation waits for a new National Minimum Wage, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has threatened to shut down the country for a month over plans by the National Assembly to deregulate the Minimum Wage.
President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, who spoke on the sideline of the 67th Annual General Meeting, AGM, in Lagos, insisted that minimum wage is a national issue.
He said the union will not allow a situation where state governors were allowed to determine what to pay to the workers.
“We cannot accept” such situation, the NLC President said.
According to him, “As we are here, a Joint Committee of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Judiciary are meeting.
“They have decided to remove section 34 from the Exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list so that the state governors can determine what to pay you and so that there will be no minimum wage again. You cannot decide what you should earn.
“The very moment the House of Representatives and the Senate come up with such a law that will not benefit Nigerian workers, they will be their drivers and gatemen, and there will be no movement for one month.
“We cannot accept any situation where the governors and the National Assembly members will foist a slave wage on workers and force poverty on the citizens. Organised Labour will not accept it.”
Meanwhile, the magazine learned that President Tinubu is currently discussing with relevant aides in the Presidency on what should be announced as the minimum wage.
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