Labour commends Buhari over inauguration of wage panel

The General Secretary of the Textiles Workers Union of Nigeria, Issa Aremu has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the inauguration of tripartite committee on minimum wage.

According to Aremu, the historic inauguration of the minimum wage review committee on Monday 27 November by the President is an indication that the government is ready to ensure that workers are better motivated for improved national productivity.

He said: “The five year cycle of the current Minimum Wage Act legally backing the subsisting negotiated minimum wage of N18000 signed by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010 was due for negotiation in 2015, two years ago. The historic inauguration once again demonstrates the globally acknowledged concern of President Muhammadu Buhari to the welfare of the workers and citizens in general as contained in 1999 constitution.”

Aremu pointed out that federal, states and local governments are not just employers of labour, but also enforcers of labour laws and have the responsibility to ensure minimum standards are maintained with respect to decent wages for workers by both the public and private sectors.

Apparently making reference to the competence test conducted by the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai which resulted in 22,000 teachers losing the jobs, Aremu remarked that, “labour will have to demand for competence test for some governors now that the President has repeatedly reminded them of their constitutional duties with respect to payment of salaries of workers as and when due.”

Arguing for a minimum wage that takes the current exchange rate into consideration, Aremu submitted: “With high inflation and Naira devaluation due to fallen crude oil prices the value of current minimum wages and pension had been eroded. At the time we submitted our proposal a year ago, at N160 to one dollar the national minimum wage was about 80 dollars per month”.