The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris Malagi, and other stakeholders have faulted the demand of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, for the President to increase the minimum wage in the country to N1m, News About Nigeria reports.
Recall that the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, in an interview on Arise TV on Monday, proposed that the minimum wage be increased to N1 million, as opposed to the N200,000 the Congress had previously proposed.
Ajaero argued that the downward plunge of the Naira and the inflation of food prices have made the N200,000 previously proposed wage unrealistic.
However, reacting to the new wage proposal, the Minister of Information stated that he would prefer to wait for the final decision of the 37-man minimum wage negotiation committee, which also included the representatives of Organised Labour.
According to him, the N1 million is only a proposal and the Federal Government will do what is right in the interest of the nation as a whole, taking into account resources and other factors.
Similarly, the Ekiti State Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun, dismissed the demands of the NLC President, maintaining that it is unrealistic.
He maintained that the NLC had the right to make whatever demand they deemed fit, but also noted that the federal government also had the right to negotiate.
“I know there is a need for planning and I know there is a reason to be realistic too. We all have to be realistic. I don’t think Ekiti can pay N1m per least-paid worker. I don’t think so given the available resources that we have in Ekiti.
“But I know it is not out of place for every segment, every level of government both federal, state, and labour to sit down and discuss,” he said.
