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N18000 National Minimum Wage has nothing to do with
removal of subsidy-Rivers TUC Chairman
Newsdiaryonline Fri June 24,2011
The Trade Union Congress of
Nigeria
(TUC) Rivers State Council is deeply worried by the revelation
that historically Governors in Nigeria have always resisted the
implementation of national Minimum wage for workers.
For instance in 2000, Minimum wage was only paid after strike by
the workers which crippled the defaulting states .Nigerian would
recall that in 2000 ,our dear country was gripped by a strike
wave over the level at which a new minimum wage should be set.
The action which began with a strike by civil servants in
Lagos state in May
2000, quickly spread throughout the country.
It
is important we further clarify that the N18, 000 national
minimum wage is the outcome one year of negotiation between the
Federal Government, State Governments, Organised private sector
and organized labour and is based on the current revenue sharing
formula; and so its implementation should not be tied howsoever
to any change in revenue sharing formula or any removal of fuel
subsidy or any other condition.
It is important we
further clarify that the N18000 is less than 35% of the
N52000 demanded by organized labour and just some 76% of
the US$ equivalent of the 1981 National Minimum Wage. The US$
equivalent of the 1981 minimum wage which is US$150 when
converted into Naira at today’s exchange rate is N23550.
We
want to state again that the State Governors were consulted and
represented in the Justice Alfa Belgore Tripartite Committee on
National Minimum Wage and the different state governments made
recommendations on what should be the new national wage.
Many State governors
including
Kwara
State, the State of the His Excellency Former Governor Bukola
Saraki the then Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum
proposed amount even higher than the N18000 minimum wage. For
instance Abia
State proposed N46,700 ; FCT, N25,000; Kwara N30,000;
Imo,
N30,000; Jigawa,
N20,800;
Kebbi,
N30,000;
Anambra,
N25,000 etc. These entire proposals by these State Governors
were not based or tied to any review of revenue sharing formula
or any removal of fuel subsidy. They were based on the earnings
of the States under the current regime of revenue allocation.
It
is also important to remind the Governors that they are under
obligation to respect and implement the NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE
(AMENDMENT) ACT, 2011 unconditionally as the law is a valid law
made under a constitutional democracy with the full consultation
and support of all stakeholders including the Nigerian State
Governors. Moreover the Nigerian workers are expecting the full
payment of the N18000 National minimum wage with the full
arrears.
We would however like to state further that we are not opposed
to dialogue on the issues raised by the Nigerian Governors
concerning their desire for change in the revenue sharing
formula or the removal of fuel subsidy. We belief that dialogue
is an important aspect of constitutional democracy. What we
reject is the deliberate ploy to use dialogue to delay or refuse
to implement a valid law made in a constitutional democracy with
the full consultation and support of all stakeholders including
the State Governors. We would also like to state that the call
by Nigerian State Governors for the removal of the fuel subsidy
is not a new one and so should have nothing to do with the
implementation of the N18000 minimum wage. Moreover it is an
issue that affects all Nigerians and so would require dialogue
with all Nigerians and not just organised labour(although
usually under the trusted leadership of organised labour).
Solidarity forever,
For: Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) Rivers State Council
,Comrade Hyginus Chika Onuegbu JP, FCAState Chairman
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