Di gbege ontop di proposed new minimum wage between di Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and di Nigeria goment don dey enta serious situation for di kontri.
Nigeria goment say dem and di Organised Private Sector don agree on 62,000 naira ($41, £32) minimum wage for Nigeria workers.
But di labour unions say dey no go fit go below 250,000 naira as di new minimum wage – dem call am living wage.
Labour earlier declare indefinite strike wey shutdown di economy for Nigeria. Afta dat, di Nigeria goment come set up a Tripartite Committee on Minimum wage to determine wetin di new wage go be.
Di committee bin meet and dey expected to submit dia resolutions. Sadly, di goment no announce di amount wey dem go peg di wage amount to.
President Bola Tinubu for im Democracy Day speech tok say im don negotiate wit organised labour on a new national minimum wage.
E say im administration go soon send executive bill to di National Assembly to stipulate wetin don dey agreed upon as part of of Nigerian law for di next five years or less.
But im no tok di new amount.
But goment go fit afford di 250,000 naira minimum wage proposed by labour and wetin e go mean to di economy of Nigeria?
Some sabi pipo follow BBC News Pidgin tok on how di 250,000 minimum wage fit affect Nigerians and how realistic e dey.
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Experts tok on di new minimum wage proposal
Ogbonge sabi pesin for mata of di economy Victor Aluyi tok to BBC News Pidgin on how di demand by labour unions fit no dey realistic.
Aluyi say di 250,000 naira minimum wage demand by labour unions go get consequences wey go even affect Nigeria economy pass wetin di kontri currently dey face.
“From perspective of reality, e no fit dey realistic to increase di new minimum wage to 250,000 naira sake of di consequences and impacts e fit get for goment to pay,” Aluyi tok.
“From 30,000 naira go almost ova ten times amount go sound more like inflation and dis go even affect di private sectors, small businesses.”
Aluyi wey be economy expert dey concerned about how private sector employers go fit pay 250,000 naira as minimum wage to dia workers.
Im add say di productivity level for Nigeria neva dey enough and e no make sense if minimum wage increase and production dey stagnant.
“Even if e go dey realistic, we gatz increase our productivity. To increase minimum wage by about ten times witout increasing production capacity go amount to same old tin.”
Anoda sabi pesin Professor Adi Bongo of di Lagos Business School tell BBC News Pidgin say di mata no be if goment go fit afford di 250,000 minimum wage proposal by di labour unions but how e go impact di workers.
E say di increase for minimum wage fit lead to increase in inflation becos if more more moni dey, pipo go still need more purchasing power.
“Make we ignore if di kontri fit afford am, make we focus on di impact of having such amount as worker salary becos increase in wages fit increase inflation sake of say we go still dey need more moni.”
Dr Bongo say di goment go fit pay 250,000 naira minimum wage but di problem be say e go also affect di small businesses and private sectors.
“Goment fit pay di 250,000 naira minimum wage, dem fit afford am but na across board. Di small businesses go gatz pay di minimum wage too – we gatz look am bifor we peg am to dat amount.”
“How many businesses go fit afford to pay dat amount for dis economy? Make labour union hold goment accountable. Labour deserve di wage but make we look am from a longer term perspective of how sustainable.”
Possible solutions to address di economy
Ogbonge pesin Aluyi say wetin labour union dey try achieve dey understandable but e go get oda areas wey dem suppose focus on.
Im say di goment gatz take tough decisions wey fit help di economy and e go include to cut down di cost of governance.
“E get oda areas wey dem fit focus on wey fit improve worker salary, welfare. Di economy dey weak in terms of productivity.
“Na difficult times for di economy. Dem gatz take tough decisions and sacrifice, and di political elites neva take dis tough decisions in terms of dia take-home pay.
“Make dem work for free for one year, do away wit dia allowances – e go help di economy and cut down cost of governance and cut wastages”
Professor Bongo say make labour go back to dia drawing board and hold goment accountable.
Im highlight say lack of infrastructure dey lead to low productivity and na part of wetin dey affect Nigeria be dat.
Professor Bongo also agree say make goment reduce dia wastage for governance.
“Goment gatz reduce wastage and na wetin labour suppose dey focus on. Wit economic mismanagement, increase in wages fit affect our inflation and our productivity no strong.”
“Companies dey comot for Nigeria sake of di struggling economy and dis na time for labour to press goment neck to increase productivity.”
Di ogbonge economy sabi pesin say “Nigeria dey critical emergency situation and e need rescue operation wit sense of urgency.”
How goment propose 62,000 naira as labour insist 250,000 naira minimum wage
Labour unions for dia Democracy Day statement say dem no dey back down on dia 250,000 naira new minimum wage proposal.
“Our demand still remain 250,000 naira only and dem neva give us any compelling reasons to change dis position during the tripartite negotiation process.”
Di deadline between di federal goment and di Organised Labour Unions ova di new minimum wage saga bin end for Monday.
Di committee dey expected to submit di outcome of dia meeting wey go include di proposed new minimum wage.
Both goment and labour dey propose different amount for di wage proposal.
Nigeria goment say dem and di Organised Private Sector don agree on 62,000 naira ($41, £32) minimum wage for Nigeria workers.
For inside one statement, di Tripartite Committee on Minimum wage wey don dey meet since to discuss about di new minimum wage mata make recommendations afta dia meeting.
According to di statement, goment say dem don critically torchlight di National Minimum Wage and dem use ” all necessary parameters”.
Dem add say dem also apply social, economic and political considerations, relevant International Labour Organisations, Conventions and international best practices bifor di committee agree on di 62,000 naira new minimum wage.
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and di Trade Union Congress (TUC) dey demand for new minimum wage even bifor President Bola Tinubu enta office for 29 May, 2023.
Oda tins goment consider as dem propose 62,000 naira as new minimum wage
According to di statement wey di Tripartite Committee release, dem tok say true true time don reach for an “upward review of di present National Minimum Wage” wey be 30,000 naira now since 2019.
Dem also agree say di advantages of di upward review of di National Minimum Wage plenty pass di disadvantages.
“Diafore di Committee dey kindly invite presido to note say di Committee adopt di motion as di proposal of 62,000 naira per month as di new National Minimum Wage afta dem consider all oda factors”.
Dem also tell President Bola Tinubu to “note say di organised labour dey insist on 250,000 naira per month”.
“Finally di Committee hereby presents N62,000 per month as agreed by Goment and Organised Private Sector (OPS) wit policy incentives and oda conditions wey di States and di Organised Private Sector make.
Dem also present di 250,000 naira per month wey di Organised Labour dey recommend as di new National Minimum Wage make President Bola Tinubu look into am.
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