The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned state governors’ interference in the national minimum wage negotiation, labeling it unconstitutional.
Benson Upah, the NLC’s Head of Information and Public Affairs, made this statement during an interview on Arise Television.
“The process for arriving at a national minimum wage comprises three parties: labour, employers, and government.
The government is currently playing a dual role of being the employer as well,” Upah stated.
“Governors have been part of this process, and for some of them to want to pull out from the national team (under the government) will be injurious to the whole process and an act of treachery and betrayal because they know fully that they have been part of the government team. It is tripartite.”
He emphasized that governors do not have the constitutional right to hijack the negotiation process.
Upah explained that the major issue in the minimum wage negotiation with the government is “prioritisation and political will.”
He criticized the governors’ desire to take over the negotiation, calling it “completely irrational.”
He warned that placing labour on the concurrent list could lead to a multiplication of laws, complicating the legal landscape for investors.
Upah also highlighted potential socioeconomic consequences if states were allowed to set their own minimum wages.
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