8th November, 2010
Last week, the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, threatened to embark on a nationwide strike this week, Wednesday if their demand for a minimum wage of N18,000 is not met.
On Thursday, the National Council of State had disclosed that it was putting the implementation of the minimum wage temporarily on hold because of what it described as technical and practical issues. For the past few months, there have been strikes and threats of strikes in all sectors and the concerned authorities seem unperturbed, because in many cases, the strikes do not really affect them. Their children study abroad, so strikes by university lecturers do not affect them.
They go abroad for medical treatment so they don’t seem concerned if doctors go on strike here. They continue to receive their fat salaries and move around with armed guards as if nothing is amiss. Many of these leaders have forgotten that posterity would never forgive them for their actions and failure to address problems confronting the ordinary people.
Elected officials and political appointees take home millions of naira every month while the Federal government continues to waste resources on frivolities, yet workers are paid peanuts and many suffer in silence.
A joint statement by the NLC and TUC on Friday signed by TUC’s President-General,  Peter Esele and NLC’s General Secretary, John Odah, accused the Federal Government of technically repudiating the National Minimum Wage Agreement by the decision of the National Council of State. Both bodies noted that it is amazing that in a country where the least paid councilor earns over N120,000 monthly, the Council of  State is of the opinion that N19,000 is too much a salary for a worker with his spouse and four children.
The N18,000 minimum wage was the recommendation of a Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage established by the Federal Government in July 2009 by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Federal, states and the labour unions had agreed on the N18,000 even in the face of rising inflation, but today, the Federal Government has developed cold feet and wants to go back on its words.
We all know the effect of strikes on the people, the nation, the economy and life in general. In a democratic setting, we believe dialogue is a better alternative, which all lovers of democracy should embrace. It is disheartening that a seemingly responsible government would not be responsive to the yearning of its workforce, to the extent that a nationwide strike becomes labour’s only weapon to fight its battle.
We know how much the country loses whenever workers go on strike, something we don’t need at this particular period. Political instability and violence in several states of the federation are enough. We should not add disruption of economic activities to these prevailing challenges. Let the Federal Government have a rethink and give the workers what they want. It is callous to make Nigerians live in penury while their elected, or selected so-called representatives live in opulence and waste our collective wealth junketing around the world.
The N18,000 minimum wage amounts to crumbs, considering what a councillor earns, which makes one wonder why the Federal Government is backpedaling on an agreement it had with the workers.
Expressing grave concern, the NLC and TUC stated that it is shocking that the N18,000 National Minimum Wage Agreement which was signed on behalf of the Federal Government by four ministers, including those of labour and finance, representatives of the state governments, labour and private sector employers can be cast aside.
The labour unions added that the inevitable conclusion is that our political leaders in the council (National Council of State) are not aware of the plight of the ordinary people and the need to urgently implement a new minimum wage in the country.
We urge the Federal Government to, for once, honour its own side of the agreement. Too many strikes are killing the country’s economy.
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