The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, says it will oppose any attempt by the National Assembly to remove labour matters, including the minimum wage, from the exclusive legislative list of the Federal Government to the concurrent list, where individual states would determine their workers’ wages.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, made the vow on Friday at the National Administrative Council, NAC, meeting of the Central Working Committee held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Ajaero, who described the move as an exercise in futility, argued that the issue of minimum wage is treated globally as a national matter in line with International Labour Organisation, ILO, conventions, which regard member countries as entities, not sub-national units such as states.
According to him, the plan by the lawmakers was a calculated attempt to bastardise the national minimum wage structure and shift other labour-related responsibilities to the states, including the establishment of state industrial courts that would independently handle wage disputes, a move he said violates ILO principles.
“The National Assembly should not go into this exercise in futility unless members will also allow their respective states to determine their wages,”; the labour leader said.
