Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has pointed fingers at a majority of governors serving on the 37-Member Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage, accusing them of neglecting the proposed base pay structure.
The committee, inaugurated by Vice President Kashim Shettima in Abuja, aimed to establish a fair living wage and ensure compliance with the soon-to-expire National Minimum Wage Act of 2019.
Ajaero expressed dissatisfaction, claiming that governors not adhering to the minimum wage or violating payment regulations dominate the committee.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Ajaero stated,
“Most of the governors in the minimum wage committee are those who are not paying minimum wage or paying them in breaches.”
He emphasized that governors in full compliance were inadequately represented, questioning the Federal Government’s decision to include those not complying or complying in breaches in the committee’s majority.
The House of Representatives’ 2017 initiative to amend the National Minimum Wage Act, compelling a review of workers’ remuneration every five years, ultimately led to the signing of the Minimum Wage Act of 2019 by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
When asked to specify states failing to implement the minimum wage, Ajaero pointed out, “A state like Zamfara, I don’t know how much Borno and Bauchi are paying,” citing the existence of a minimum wage law criminalizing non-compliance which has never been enforced.
Ajaero expressed concern over the lack of enforcement, highlighting Anambra State’s payment of N30,000 for the least-paid workers and challenging anyone from Anambra to disprove claims of low earnings even among permanent secretaries.
Shifting focus to economic matters, Ajaero voiced criticism over Nigeria’s dependence on the dollar for transactions, asserting that the Federal Government has turned a blind eye to the issue.
He revealed the Labour Congress’s helplessness in resolving the matter, attributing it to a federal government policy.
Ajaero stated, “We are worried about it but there is nothing we can do since the Nigerian government has chosen the dollar as a formal currency that will benchmark all they are doing.”