Lawmakers in the House of Representatives elected on the platform of opposition political parties have urged the Federal Government to implement a new minimum wage of more than ₦100,000 to assuage organised labour.
Naija News reports that organised labour is demanding ₦494,000 minimum wage as opposed to ₦60,000 proposed by the Federal Government.
Speaking in an interview with Punch on Tuesday, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda insisted that failure to pay a living wage was a constitutional breach.
He said, “In Nigeria today, any wage below $200 (N298,800) is ridiculous. The Nigerian worker is heavily underpaid and it is the responsibility of the government to ensure the security and welfare of its citizens. Failure to pay a living wage is unconstitutional as the welfare of citizens is neglected.
“Public and government officers should have their monthly wages while we consider the hourly rate for private or casual employees. The earlier the government concludes this matter with labour unions, the better.”
Also, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party and lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, Osun State, Oluwole Oke, argued that payment of a living wage would enable majority of Nigerians to cope with the current economic realities.
“The minimum wage the Federal Government should pay should be N120,000. I say this because wage increase has its linkages, effects and consequences. Nigerian workers deserve living wages.
“We need to look at productivity in the private sector. Would the private sector that feeds the government survive? We have a serious issue at hand,” he added.
On his part, the lawmaker representing Abuja Municipal/Bwari Federal Constituency of the Federal Capital Territory, Chinedu Obika said the minimum wage should not be less than ₦150,000 “based on the current reality.”
He urged the Federal Government to consider the inflation rate in the country before setting a new minimum wage.