The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has vowed to resist any attempt by the National Assembly to remove labour matters — including the minimum wage — from the exclusive legislative list of the Federal Government to the concurrent list, where individual states would determine their workers’ wages.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, issued the warning on Friday during the National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting of the Central Working Committee held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Describing the move as “an exercise in futility”, Ajaero argued that the issue of minimum wage is treated globally as a national matter in line with International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, which regard member countries as entities, not sub-national units such as states.
He alleged that the plan by lawmakers was a calculated attempt to “bastardise” the national minimum wage structure and shift other labour-related responsibilities to the states, including the establishment of state industrial courts that would independently handle wage disputes — a move he said violates ILO principles.
“The National Assembly should not go into this exercise in futility unless members will also allow their respective states to determine their wages.
“If they attempt to smuggle labour matters into the concurrent list, we will mobilise workers to protest against it, even up to election day,” the labour leader said.
Speaking later with journalists, the NLC President reaffirmed that organised labour would firmly oppose any effort to undermine the minimum wage, calling on lawmakers to uphold justice and protect the interests of the citizens they represent.
“All over the world, there is a minimum wage for the protection of workers. In Nigeria, there is legislation for a minimum wage of ₦70,000. The law permits states to pay more than that, and in fact, many states currently pay above the minimum wage,” he said.