A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falan, has said that
the N30, 000 new National Minimum Wage approved for workers is not
a living wage.
Falana, a human rights activist, disclosed this while delivering
his speech during the Trade Union Congress Conference in Abuja
yesterday.
He said what section 16 of the constitution provides for is “A
living minimum wage, the N30,000 new national minimum wage you will
all agree with me is not a living minimum wage.”
However, he commended the present administration for taking it
up to increase that minimum wage from N18,000 to N30, 000.
He said in order for the government to ensure that the new
minimum wage is paid by state governments, they must sit down with
labour to ensure that “the wealth of our country is not
desecrated.”
“All our governors now fly chattered air. You can’t pay minimum
wage if you have to chatter air. Therefore, I’m calling on the
federal government to collaborate with the labour congress,” Falana
added.
Meanwhile, the organized labour vowed to fight governors who
fail to pay the new National Minimum Wage recently signed into
law.
The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba,
disclosed this at the Triennial National Delegates Conference of
the Trade Union Congress in Abuja yesterday.
He said governors who are unwilling to pay the new Minimum Wage
should be ready for a stand-off with the NLC.
The organized labour commended the Jigawa State governor who
expressed readiness to pay the minimum wage, while states such as
Oyo said they can’t pay.
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