The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has made a case for N794,000 as the new national minimum wage for workers in the South-West geopolitical zone.
This is as the South-East chapters of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) proposed N540,000 and N447,000, respectively, as new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
The chairperson of NLC in Lagos State, Funmi Sessi, made the demand at the ongoing public hearing of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage in Ikeja, Lagos.
Sessi disclosed that the demand was jointly agreed on by all the members of the union in the South-West.
Similarly, the South-East chapters of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have proposed N540,000 and N447,000, respectively, as new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
The organised labour of NLC and TUC made the proposal during the South-East Zonal Hearing organised by the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage on Thursday in Enugu.
Speaking on behalf of the NLC in the South-East, Comrade Fabian Nwigbo, the Chairman, NLC Enugu State chapter, noted that the value of N30,000 minimum wage of 2019 had been eroded by inflation.
According to him, if you consider what is going on in the country today, one won’t be talking about minimum wage anymore.
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Nwagbo described the situation as very “unfortunate” saying that if one compared the minimum wages being paid in West African countries, Nigeria workers were the least paid.
“For us, we want to propose based on the prices of commodities in Nigeria. In 2019, when we had N30, 000 minimum wage, a paint bucket of garri was N280, rice and beans were about N450 each while fuel was N145.
“This has continued to subsist till today where a litre of fuel is now N750 to N800 depending on the location. “In the current state, a paint bucket of rice is over N4000 and garri, N2,500. “While two bedroom flat in Enugu that used to be N250,000-N300,000 is over N650,000 at the suburb and in the city it stands at N1.2 million yearly.
“Everything is moving up except salary paid to civil servants. “We are praying the leadership of this country to consider the pains and sufferings of the Nigerian workers and citizens and give us something that is close to what we can use to survive,” he appealed.
Giving a breakdown of the proposal, the chairman added that a family of six with daily feeding of N2000 each, would have N12,000 and in 30 days it would be N360,000.
“We have also put hospital bills at N20,000, education N40,000, utility, N10,000, clothing N30,000, social engagement and other things at N10,000 per month.
“If you put them together, you have N540,000 which will do a little good to the workers of Nigeria and so we are proposing N540,000 as new minimum wage for civil servants”, he said.
In his submission, Comrade Ben Asogwa, Chairman, TUC Enugu chapter, said that the zone aligned with the N447,000 proposed by the TUC national leadership. “It is small to what Nigeria workers expect but we are concerned on its implementation if more is requested, given the economic factors and indices. Any governor that refuses to pay should leave office,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Tommy Etim, Chairman of the event and Deputy National President 1, TUC, said it was a mark of honour for them to have engaged in a sensitive assignment on National minimum wage.
Likewise, the Federal Capital Territory chapter of NLC on Thursday proposed N709,000 as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers at the North Central Zonal Public Hearing organised by the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage on Thursday in Abuja.
The NLC FCT Chairman, Dr Stephen Knabayi, made the submission in the North Central zone. He said a total of 15 organisations met and presented their submissions to the council.
Knabayi, while making the submission, said the Congress took cognizance of the present economic conditions in the country in arriving at the figure.
According to him, the sum proposed will help cushion the effects of the economic challenges and ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians. “We have a common position.
This position considers the current economic plight in the country. “We have the submission that N709,000 per month should be the minimum wage for the workers in the country.
“We believe that Nigeria has what it takes, the leadership should commit themselves to getting this money paid and for us to have better treatment for the working people of Nigeria,” he said.
The Trade Union Congress(TUC), FCT chapter, making its submission at the public hearing , proposed N447,000 as the new minimum wage.
Mr Amaege Chukwudi, who represented the TUC chapter, said: “This will give Nigerian workers a minimum level of comfort and enable them to cope with the current level of economic hardship, which has turned the majority of them to beggars.
“So for us in the FCT, we expect the minimum wage to run across the three tiers of government”, he said.
Chukwudi appealed for policy reform that would engender massive food supply in the country. He urged the Federal Government to provide buses to ease movement of workers, fix refineries, and ensure stable electricity supply, among other recommendations.