Photo: NLC President, Joe Ajaero.
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ajaero, has given update on the hanged nationwide strike over current minimum wage dispute, stating that a strike cannot be declared at this time.
NLC stated that, there will be no strike action scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, in pursuit of a revised national minimum wage.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, announced this decision during the current International Labour Conference taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.
Ajaero said, “We cannot declare strike now because the figures are with the President.”
“During the tenure of the immediate past President, the figure that was proposed to him was N27,000 by the tripartite committee but he increased it to N30,000. We are hopeful that this President will do the right thing. The President had noted that the difference between N62,000 and N250,000 is a wide gulf,”
“How can any governor say he cannot pay? They cannot also be calling for the decentralization of the minimum wage.
“Are there wages decentralized? Governors whose states are not contributing a dime to the national purse and who generate pitiable Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) are collecting the same amount as governors whose states are generating billions of dollars into the FAAC.
“They should decentralize their salaries and emoluments first.
“So, where is the governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki getting his money from? He is paying N70,000 minimum wage. This is the type of governor that should be emulated and not the lazy ones.”
Recall, the federal government has shifted its ground by adding extra N2,000 to the N60,000 earlier offered Labour as minimum wage for Nigerian workers. Meanwhile, the Organised labour has rejected the new offer of N62,000, but yet to make any decision as far as the hanged industrial action is concerned.
As far as the new minimum wage is concerned in the country, what are your advice to Organised Labour? Should they continue the strike or accept federal government’s N62,000 minimum wage offer?
