The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has called on the Federal Government to reconsider the ₦70,000 national minimum wage, arguing that the higher salaries being paid by several state governments raise questions about the Federal Government’s current wage policy.
Ajaero made the call during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, recalling that organised labour agreed to the ₦70,000 minimum wage after President Bola Tinubu appealed to them to consider the financial capacity of state governments.
According to the NLC president, Tinubu indicated during negotiations that the Federal Government could afford to pay as much as ₦150,000 but urged labour leaders to consider the ability of subnational governments to meet higher wage demands.
Ajaero explained that negotiations had initially stalled at ₦60,000 before direct discussions between labour leaders and the President resulted in the ₦70,000 agreement.
He stressed that the agreement was reached through direct negotiations with the President rather than through the minimum wage committee.
However, the labour leader said subsequent wage adjustments by state governments had raised concerns about the arguments that informed the final agreement.
He cited Imo State as an example, noting that it pays ₦104,000 as minimum wage, while some other states reportedly offer ₦100,000, ₦85,000, ₦84,000 and ₦75,000.
Ajaero maintained that the figures showed that several states were paying their workers more than the Federal Government, despite the financial concerns raised during the negotiations.
He added that the Federal Government should reassess its position and determine whether the current minimum wage remains appropriate in view of developments across the states.
The NLC president said the Federal Government needed to return to the negotiating table and review the situation to address the disparity in workers’ earnings.
