CITING insensitivity, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged states government to immediately implement the N18,000 minimum wage or be ready to face workers' wrath.
Besides, the NLC faulted the recent statement by the chairman of the Governors' Forum, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, who said that until a new revenue formula was approved, that the states may not be able to pay the salary.
In a statement issued and signed by the NLC Vice President, Issa Aremu, he said "the new legal minimum wage of N18,000 of 2011 is based on the current revenue allocation formula, the capacity of the economy, the ability of both the private and public employers to pay as well as modest working conditions of a minimum wage earner."
According to him: "The earlier the governors, private employers and the Federal Government pay the better, to avoid sanctions by workers and the burden of arrears that accompany avoidable and criminal delays".
Aremu who expressed concern over Amaechi's comments, argued that "the respected chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum and governor of Rivers State, got it completely wrong when he said the governors are not in a position to immediately implement the 18,000.00 minimum wage unless there is a new revenue allocation formula".
He added: "If there is a new revenue allocation formula tomorrow, there is bound to be a new minimum wage higher than the current N18,000. The point cannot be overstated; the new N18,000 minimum wage is a product of painstaking two-year negotiation and consultation by the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage.
"Critical stakeholders that negotiated the new rate included state governments, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Organised Private Sector (OPS), Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as well as informed opinions drawn from key institutions and professional bodies like CBN, Nigeria Institute of Social and Economic Research, NISER, National Productivity Center, (NPC) National Planning Commission, Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) as well as Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME)".
"All inclusive negotiation committee negotiated and arrived at an upward review of national minimum wage from N5,000 and N7,500 (state and Federal levels respectively) to N18,000, a compromised rate from the N52,200 demanded for by Nigeria Labour Congress for a Nigerian minimum earner."
Aremu continued: "The N18,000 minimum wage is dependent on the current revenue allocation formula among other economic and social fundamental macro factors like the oil revenue, cost of working and living, non-oil sector performance, labour productivity and general level of poverty."
Source: The Guardian.