The Organised Labour, including the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, has rejected the proposal of the Southern Governors’ Forum to decentralise minimum wage negotiations to state governments.
The NLC condemned the proposal as “unfriendly and anti-worker”, noting that allowing states to determine their minimum wages would be detrimental to workers’ welfare.
Reacting to the proposal of the governors, the National Treasurer of the NLC, Akeem Ambali, on Saturday insisted that the governors had no power to negotiate the new minimum wage.
He added that the governors were compelled by law to implement the new national minimum wage.
Ambali advised the governors to stop trying to strong-arm the Federal Government and labour with their request to negotiate with labour individually, and rather focus on how they would implement the national minimum wage when it is approved.
Ambali noted that it was regrettable that labour had to always resort to strike actions to get the government to yield to its demands. He asked the governors make public how much they earn, and subject it to negotiations.
