While the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), yesterday, were proposed N794,000 as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers , their counterpart, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) advocating for N497,000 during the South-West zonal public hearing currently ongoing on the National Minimum Wage across the country. Accordingly, the hearing was organised by the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, and was billed to hold at every geopolitical zone of all the six zones held simultaneously across the country.
NLC Lagos State Chairman, Comrade Funmi Sessi, during the discussion proposed for N794,000, saying that the national minimum wage should remain on the exclusive list and the review should be every two years henceforth instead of the regular five years.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Yemi Edun revealed that the committee is interested in well-researched position papers that would aid an informed decision by the federal government at the end of the day.
Similarly in the Northeast Zonal Public hearing on the Tripartite Committee on national minimum wage currently being held in Yola, one of the governors in attendance from the region was proposing for a new revenue-sharing formula at the FAC.
The governor of Bauchi State, Bala Muhammed, proposed an increase in the minimum wage from the current N30,000 to a new of N45,000, even at that, it would be subject to when there is review of the sharing formula.
According to Bala Mohammed, he suggested that the federal government should receive 35%, the state should receive 40%, and the local government should receive 25%.
States like Gombe, Taraba, Adamawa, Yobe and Borno all had representatives at the hearing, with the first two states proposing N60, 000 while Adamawa state was proposing N45, 000 for their workers respectively.
In the South-East chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the duo have proposed N540,000 and N447,000 respectively as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
Chairman, NLC Enugu State Chapter, Comrade Fabian Nwigbo, noted that the value of the N30,000 minimum wage of 2019 had been eroded by inflation. NAN