THE President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has reiterated that it is necessary to have a fair and transparent wage structure for Nigerian workers.
Ajaero highlighted the disconnect between the wages of senators and the minimum wage of ordinary workers, arguing that it is imperative for lawmakers to understand the struggles of those living on minimum wage.
Speaking at the 67th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association in Lagos on Tuesday, Ajaero’s call for change comes at a time when the cost of living continues to rise, making it difficult for workers on minimum wage to meet their basic needs.
Ajaero solicited the support of NECA for better wages for workers, stressing that the issue at hand was not merely about the figures but about the purchasing power of the wages earned.
He said: “Fair wages are not just a matter of social justice; they are also instrumental in boosting worker’s productivity and, consequently, the bottom line for employers. Enhanced purchasing power among workers will lead to increased consumption, thereby addressing the concerns of rising inventories in warehouses.
‘’We have advocated from the beginning of our engagement on the national minimum wage fixing exercise for the need to put more money in the hands of workers. We made this case on the understanding that it will help our businesses and rev up the economy.
‘’We had strongly believed that your organisation would have been one with us and would have seen that we are actually making a great case for the survival of your businesses. We do not have any interest in crippling our businesses because you cannot cut your nose to spite your face.
‘’It is on this premise that we urge members of NECA to join us in the quest for a national minimum wage that will eliminate deep poverty from the lives of workers; wages that will not increase the number of the working poor and amount to a starvation wage for Nigerian workers is what we should all push for.
‘’The only way to break the present consumer resistance is to increase the wages of workers and that speaks to the policy of government that seeks to reflate the economy. It is not by giving handouts or reducing Nigerians to beggars who must queue at the various charity parks before they can eat.
‘’We must join hands to stop this collective slide into the pit. We must save our businesses by saving workers. N250,000 as national minimum wage is already a steep consideration by Nigerian workers.
As we speak, the House of Representatives and the Senate are meeting to work on decentralizing wages.
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‘’We all know that wage in International Labour Organisation, ILO, is a national law and Nigeria will not be an exception. We will also demand that the wages of political officeholders and others are brought under minimum wage.
‘’You cannot be in the Senate and you are under minimum wage and not legislate for a better wage We should know your wage, we should know what you are earning. If you are a governor, you have security vote that is unaccounted for. If you have excess funds, you will not know that people are suffering.
“But if everybody is brought under the minimum wage, even if the governors want to create level 18, 19, or 20 for them, they all should come under the wage system. That is the only way it is going to work.
“If it is possible, both the House of Representatives and the Senate should be on part-time basis.
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‘’Let it be based on professional callings. If you are a lawyer, a doctor, you have a business or profession of your own. If they meet three times a week, then the remaining days in the week, you go on with your businesses because the money being spent at the National Assembly is unimaginable. ‘’Unless we address this, the country will continue to go down and the gap between the rich and poor will continue to widen.
He, however, warned that should the governors and members of the National Assembly succeed in deregulating the minimum wage, Organised labour would shut the country for one month.
He emphasized that according to International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 131, ratified by Nigeria, minimum wage is a national issue. He warned that organized labor would not tolerate governors and members of the National Assembly imposing slave wages and poverty on workers and Nigerians.
“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 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,’’ he said.
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