Minimum Wage: N30,000 is not sacrosanct —Labour Minister

Against the position and argument of the Organised Labour, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige declared on Friday that the N30,000 minimum wage recommended by the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage (TCNMW), was not sacrosanct.

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The minister stated that the TCNMW was just an advisory committee, as the government is the final and competent authority to fix minimum wage.

In a statement titled: ‘Clarification of the 2019 National Minimum Wage Bill,’ Dr. Ngige said the outcome of the committee is just a recommendation and therefore not sacrosanct as the final decision lies on the government.

Ngige said his position is to clarify “the various misrepresentations being given to the press briefing on the New National Minimum Wage, given at Aso Villa on January 22, 2019, after the meeting of the National Council of State.”

A statement signed by the Assistant Director, Press in the Ministry of Labour and Employment said: “It is very important to note that the constituted TCNMW was mandated by Mr. President to deliberate on the issue of a review of the National Minimum Wage and make recommendations for its upward review.

“The output from the TCNMW was never meant to be sacrosanct but to provide a guide for the Competent Authority (the government) to take a final decision.

“The ILO Conventions on Minimum Wage cited above succinctly stipulate that each member state shall be free to decide the nature and form of the Minimum Wage Fixing Machinery, and methods to be followed in its operation.

“They further provide that before the competent authority takes the final decision on a National Minimum Wage, there should be full preliminary consultations with the most representative organisations of employers and workers. This was done when Mr President constituted and encouraged the work of the TCNMW.

“The Report of the TCNMW asked Mr. President to note the figure of Thirty Thousand Naira (N30, 000.00)  recommended by the TCNMW by way of motion and not by consensus, and also to note the Federal Government figure of N24, 000.00. Mr President considered the report in full and looked at the differing statistics/figures presented by everybody before he arrived at the figure of N27, 000.00 per month.