President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said the
nation’s minimum wage should be anchored on social justice and equity.
He said the government must aim to go above the
basic social protection floor for all Nigerian workers based on the ability of
each tier of government to pay.
Buhari said this while inaugurating the 30-member
National Minimum Wage Committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The tripartite committee chaired by a former
Minister of Housing, Ms. Ama People, is saddled with the responsibility of
negotiating a new National Minimum Wage for Nigerian workers.
The President said, “The subject of a national
minimum wage for the federation is within the Exclusive Legislative List of the
1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“Accordingly, we should aim to go above the basic
social protection floor for all Nigerian workers based on the ability of each
tier of government to pay.
“I say this because minimum wage is the minimum
amount of compensation an employee must receive for putting in his or her
labour and as such should be anchored on social justice and equity.”
Buhari disclosed that government’s decision after
considering the final recommendation of the committee would be sent as an
executive bill to the National Assembly for it to undergo appropriate
legislative scrutiny before passage into law.
He said the inclusion of state governors and
private sector employers in the committee was meant to ensure ease of
implementation of a new minimum wage nationwide.
The President said he was hopeful that the
principles of full consultation with social partners and their direct
participation would be utilised by the committee, bearing in mind the core
provisions of the International Labour Organisation Minimum Wage Fixing
Convention No. 131 and Minimum Wage Fixing Machinery Convention No.26 (ratified
by Nigeria).
Accordingly, Buhari said conditions of genuine
social dialogue should prevail in the spirit of “tripartism and collective
bargaining agreements.”
“I therefore enjoin you all to collectively
bargain in good faith, have mutual recognition for each other and always in a
spirit of give and take.
“The committee is expected to complete its
deliberations and submit its report and recommendations as soon as possible to
enable other requisite machinery to be set in motion for implementation of a
new National Minimum Wage,” he added.
While underscoring the importance of the
exercise, the President described the Nigerian worker as a vital element in the
growth and development of the country.
He noted that the last Minimum Wage Instrument
had expired, adding that it was in recognition of the need to ensure a fair and
decent living wage that the Federal Government set in motion necessary
mechanism for the inauguration of the committee.
He recalled that during the period following the
increase in petrol pump price in May 2016, a technical committee was
established to examine and make recommendations to government on the measures
to be adopted to cushion the envisaged painful effects of the increase on
workers and the Nigerian populace at large.
He expressed the hope that the committee’s
recommendation would be consensual and generally acceptable.
“I therefore urge you to amicably consider the
issue of a National Minimum Wage and all matters that are ancillary to it with
thoroughness and concern not only for the welfare of our workforce but the
effect on the country’s economy,” he said.
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