Organised labour on Sunday in Abuja called on the Federal Government to constitute a tripartite committee for the upward review of the proposed N56,000 new National Minimum Wage.
Mr Ayuba Wabba, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) made the call at the 2016 May Day celebration with the theme: “Working Class and The Quest for Socio-Economic Revival’’’.
NLC and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) had on Tuesday submitted a formal proposal of N56,000 new National Minimum Wage to the Federal Government.
Wabba said that the tripartite committee should comprise government; Federal and State, NECA, the organised private sector, and labour to begin the negotiations.
“During the last May Day, we had stated that as soon as the new government to be sworn in on May 29, 2015 settled down, we would table a proposal for a new National Minimum Wage demand.
“The National Minimum Wage Act which former President Jonathan signed into law in April 2011 has a five year re-opener clause for new negotiations to review the new minimum wage.
“In fulfillment of the above provision, we recently submitted a N56,000 proposal as new minimum wage to the Federal Government.
“Our proposal of N56,000 is just N4,000 more than the figure we put out for negotiation in December 2008, which was N52,000.
“This represents our awareness about the prevailing economic situation in the country,’’ he said.
Also speaking, the TUC President, Mr Bobbio Kaigama said the present economic hardship and its attendant effects on workers had made nonsense of the National Minimum Wage of N18,000.
He said that the N18,000 National Minimum Wage had been operational for over five years and called for an upward review of the existing minimum wage to N56,000.
“This has become necessary as the present one formally lapsed on 24th March, 2016.
“Indeed, even before we submitted our proposal, we had expected the Federal Government to appoint a committee to handle the issue.
“We anticipate that no state governor would dare claim that his state cannot afford the increase.
“Each state government should be proactive and look inwards to the state’s bountiful alternative sources of income rather than relying only on statutory monthly allocations from the federation account.
He called on the Federal Government to start the negotiation for a new National Minimum Wage, adding that any further delay would be counterproductive.
