Members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have staged a peaceful protest at the National Assembly on Wednesday over plans to move minimum wage matters from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list.
This bill, which has already passed second reading at the House of Representatives, will states the power to determine their own minimum wages,
The sponsor of the bill, Garba Mohammed (APC, Kano), said the bill is to allow both the federal and state governments to freely negotiate minimum wage “with their workers in line with our federalism.”
Dateline Nigeria reports that many states are yet to fully implement the N30,000 minimum wage long after it was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
NLC President Ayuba Wabba, who led the protest, decried how little and insufficient the current minimum wage is, especially with the current exchange rate.
He described the bill as an attempt by some lawmakers to undermine Nigeria’s working class.
Also, the TUC President, Quadri Olaleye, made the same call as he condemned the failure of some state governments to implement the new minimum wage.
Messrs Wabba and Olaleye presented their letters of demands to the Senate’s Deputy Chief Whip, Sabi Abdullahi, and House Majority Leader, Ado Doguwa.
The lawmakers who received the letters promised to relay their concerns to the National Assembly leadership.
