The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has firmly rejected the suggestion by state governors that they should be allowed to determine the wages of their workers, describing it as dictatorial.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, declared that Nigerian workers will not be treated as beggars in the country.
The NLC emphasized that the national minimum wage is not an arbitrary figure but a collective agreement designed to ensure a minimum standard of living for every worker in the country. The concept of a national minimum wage represents a national wage floor, a baseline below which no worker should be paid.
The NLC cautioned state governors against exhibiting dictatorial tendencies in determining what they deem fit to pay Nigerian workers as the minimum wage. The tripartite committee on the new minimum wage had proposed N62,000 as a new minimum wage, while organized labour insists on N265,000.
The NLC Head of Information and Public Affairs, Benson Upah, stated that allowing numerous companies and organizations in Nigeria to pay workers whatever they like is akin to what the governors are asking for. He emphasized that while these companies may not pay the same salaries, they must adhere to the national wage floor, and the same should apply to state governors.
The NLC declared that Nigerian workers should not be reduced to beggars and that enough is enough.
