The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has opposed calls by some politicians for decentralized minimum wage negotiations,Daily Trust reports.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Ibadan, Adebayo Aribatise, the Secretary of NLC in Oyo State, expressed concern that decentralizing minimum wage negotiations would disadvantage workers in certain states.
Recently, some politicians, including former Ekiti Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi, have advocated for allowing states to conduct wage negotiations independently of the Federal Government. Fayemi, representing the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, argued that states should negotiate with their labor unions individually, as economic conditions vary across the country.
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Fayemi explained that the benefits of a centralized minimum wage are limited to a small segment of the population. However, Aribatise strongly opposed the idea, stating that it is not suitable for Nigeria.
Aribatise highlighted that several states have not yet fully implemented the previous N30,000 minimum wage, despite the NLC’s efforts at both national and state levels. He warned that decentralizing wage negotiations would lead to abuse by some governors.
“The law mandates states to pay the national minimum wage, and the federal government should continue setting it. Otherwise, some governors will exploit the system, leaving junior workers with inadequate earnings,” Aribatise said【NAN】.
