Concerns have been raised by the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) over the federal government’s inability to establish a new minimum wage committee three months before the existing one expires.
The federal government was cautioned by the labor union not to put the committee in a position where it would have to operate under duress.
Tommy Okon, the TUC’s deputy president, voiced this opinion to reporters on Tuesday in Lagos and encouraged the government to get in touch with the appropriate parties as soon as feasible.
He continued by saying that organized labor has already played its part by sending the government a list of the people who will be on the tripartite committee for pay negotiations.
He asserts that there is no benefit in pointing out that the existing N30,000 minimum salary is unsustainable given the state of the economy.
“The intention of the government is not known to us. This is because by now, the committee should have been inaugurated.
“We do not want a situation where the work of the committee is done under desperation. This is January, and the N30,000 national minimum wage will expire on April 18 this year (2024).
“So, it is expected that by now, the committee would have been inaugurated and a chairman of the committee appointed. This is because it is tripartite in nature, and the committee has to conduct the activities also on zonal basis.
“Thereafter, it will come to a conclusion where whatever will be agreed will also be sent to the National Assembly which in turn will also look at the public hearing and thereafter send it to Mr. President for assent,” Okon said.
The labor leader went on to say that there are advantages and disadvantages to the current delay.
He says the positive is that the government might be working on a plan that the labor movement is not aware of and that it is trying to be certain of what it wants to say, but the negative is that it might be giving the wrong impression to the international community and Nigerians about how the government views labor issues.
“However, the negative implication is that it may send a wrong signal that the government is not willing to negotiate the National Minimum Wage and that will be a very wrong impression, if the public is taking that as the position.
“Also, Nigerian workers and the masses are not finding it easy because of the socio-economic challenges.
“We know that the N30,000 minimum wage cannot do anything, much less for transportation, payment of house rent, children’s school fees, even taking care of some life-threatening challenges.
