A Labour leader, Mr. Joe Ajaero, said yesterday that the organised
labour would never sign any agreement with the Federal Government on new
National Minimum Wage, which is less than N30,000.
Ajaero, who
is United Labour Congress (ULC) President, said in Lagos that the
tripartite committee agreed that N30,000 would be paid at the end of its
negotiation as the new Minimum Wage for workers.
“N24,000 can never be new Minimum Wage for workers.
If the government pays it, then it is an award,” Ajaero added. He said
it was sad that N30,000 was adopted by the tripartite committee, but the
representatives of government announced N24,000.
The ULC leader
insisted that the organised labour would stand against it and would not
sign any document, which does not reflect the true deliberation by the
tripartite committee.
He added that the committee had concluded
its meeting on the new wage and labour was expecting the government to
invite them to sign an agreement on the decision.
“No more
meetings. A date has been fixed to sign an agreement on the figure
agreed. On that day, if the amount is not what the tripartite committee
agreed, the organised labour will not sign,” he said.
On November
27, 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the appointment of a
30-member tripartite National Minimum Wage Committee for the negotiation
of a new national minimum wage.
Labour collectively demanded for
N65,000 per month as the new Minimum Wage for all workers as harmonised
by the organised labour.
However, after many delays on reaching
an agreement on the figure, the NLC, TUC and the ULC on September 26
went on a two-day nationwide warning strike, to protest government’s
delay on the wage by not allowing the committee conclude its job.
