Nigeria indicts at ILO over states’ failure to implement new wage
The Nigeria Government came under fire at the ongoing 110th International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland for her failure to ensure that all states in the country implement the new national Minimum wage of N30,000.
The workers body had reported the government to the ILC organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) with full representation of the workers, employers and government.
Nigeria was among the 22 countries invited to supply information to the conference for violating standard of the ILO.
Others countries in Africa include, Benin Republic, Malawi, Liberia, Djibouti and Central African Republic. Others are Hungary, Myanmar, Malaysia, Iraq, Nicaragua, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Belarus, El-Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador, China and Kazakhstan.
Organised Labour represented by the two centres, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC)at the ongoing ILC, the first in-presence after the COVID-19 pandemic, expressed how some state governors have frustrated the implementation of the new wage years after it was signed into law.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari signed the national minimum wage bill into law in April 2019.
The president’s decision came after the National Assembly passed the bill approving N30,000 as the new national minimum wage.
Labour reported that the federal government though had implemented and set standard for the consequential adjustment, but lack the will power to ensure implementation at the state level.
Though the representatives of the government at the committee led by Juliana Adebambo, Director Productivity Measurement and Labour Standard has explained that government through collectivity bargaining with workers are trying to ensure that the minimum wage is implemented across board, the workers insisted on the ILO conducting full investigation and to prevail on Nigeria for total compliance.
The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba said Labour has consistently threatened to shut down three state governments yet to commence the payment of the national minimum wage.
Specifically, the culpable state governments are Taraba, Cross River and Zamfara. Wabba said the new minimum wage is a law, hence it is compulsory for all employers of labour in Nigeria to pay their workers the minimum of N30,000.
As with other laws, state governments were expected to domesticate the minimum wage law, but three years down the line, some states are yet to implement the minimum wage.
In January, the NLC has identified Zamfara, Taraba, Benue, Kogi, Cross River, Abia and Imo as states yet to implement the minimum wage.
Then, the NLC president, had directed workers in the affected states to embark on strike, noting that it is “disheartening” that amid the current economic situation, some states “still need persuasion” to pay workers the national minimum wage.
However, in February 2022, Governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello, approved the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage for workers in the state.
Besides strike and protest, Wabba said
NLC has commenced a legal process to get the defaulting states to comply with what he considered, “a gross violation of our constitution”.
According to him, “It is sheer injustice for political office holders to pay themselves a humongous severance pack, but deny pensioners and workers their legitimate right. It is sheer injustice.”
On his part, Quadri Olaleye, Trade Union Congress (TUC) president, said states in the country are capable of fully implementing the new minimum wage “if only they are godly, prudent and have the interest of the workers at heart”.
