Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), says state governors can afford to pay the proposed N615,000 minimum wage if they get their priorities right.
Ajaero spoke on Thursday during an interview with Channels
Television.
Recently, organised labour announced that the new minimum
wage should be pegged at N615,000.
The proposal came amid ongoing minimum wage negotiations
between federal and state governments on one hand, and organised labour on the
other.
In 2019, the administration of former President Muhammadu
Buhari pegged the national minimum wage at N30,000.
After the new minimum wage was announced at the time, it
took some states forever to implement the increment.
Asked during the interview if organised labour’s proposal of
N615,000 is realistic, Ajaero said the amount is the “most realistic” given the
galloping inflation in the country.
The NLC president said organised labour considered factors
like transportation, housing, and feeding before arriving at the sum.
“If you are talking about being realistic, the N615,000
demand is the most realistic. Being realistic is not about slave wage,” Ajaero
said.
“However, N30,000 is big money if inflation is brought down,
and at a single digit.
“Look at the indices that create inflation. If you check
them, you can talk about being realistic. All other factors in the country are
going high and wages remain constant.”
Asked if states can afford the N615,000 proposal, the NLC
president averred that it is not about ability to pay but the priorities of
states.
“I think we need to understand the issues of ability to pay
and not getting the priority right,” he added.
“Most of the states that have shown willingness to pay the
current minimum wage are not among those getting the highest revenue.
“During the time of Muhammadu Buhari, some states were
declared not having enough money to pay and he released funds for them to pay.
“Those states still
refused to pay. It is not the question of either the quantum of money that they
have or not, it is what they decide to do with such money.
“If they get their priorities right, then a lot can happen.”
Organised labour has also threatened to embark on a strike
if a new minimum wage is not announced before May 31, 2024.
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