THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared its opposition to any move by the National Assembly to transfer labour matters, including the national minimum wage, from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list, where individual states would determine their wage structures.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, made this position clear during the National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting of the Central Working Committee, held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Ajaero described the proposal as “an exercise in futility,” stressing that minimum wage issues are globally regarded as national concerns by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
These conventions, he noted, recognise only national governments as responsible entities, not sub-national units such as states.
He warned that any attempt by lawmakers to decentralise the wage structure would undermine the existing national minimum wage framework and erode the rights and protections of Nigerian workers.
“This is a calculated attempt to bastardise the national minimum wage and shift labour-related responsibilities to the states.
“They are also proposing the establishment of state industrial courts to handle wage disputes independently, which contravenes ILO principles,” Ajaero said.
The labour leader further challenged lawmakers to allow their respective states to determine their salaries if they are committed to such decentralisation.
“The National Assembly should not go into this exercise in futility unless members will also allow their respective states to determine their wages,” he asserted.
The NLC reaffirmed its commitment to defending workers’ rights and urged the federal legislature to abandon any plans that would jeopardise the welfare and security of workers across the country.
