Organised Labour on Thursday faulted what it described as the jumbo remuneration paid to political officeholders in the country.

Speaking against the backdrop of the government’s insistence on paying N62,000 minimum wage, the acting President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, advised President Bola Tinubu to pay workers a living wage and ignore those he described as sycophants.

This is as the Senate confirmed that it would receive the minimum wage bill after the Sallah celebration.

In his Democracy Day broadcast on Wednesday, the President promised to forward a bill on the new minimum wage to the National Assembly soon.

Asked about the proposed bill, the senate spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, said, “ The President will likely send the Wage ward bill after the Sallah break.”

The Senate Tuesday adjourned plenary for the Sallah break and is due to resume on July 2.

The Federal Government and Labour have been at loggerheads over the new minimum wage with the union leaders insisting on N250,000.

On the other hand, the Federal Government and the Organised Private Sector made a counter-offer of N62,000.

The state governors argued that they could not sustain any minimum wage higher than N60,000.

The labour unions at several fora dismissed the government’s offer which they described as ‘starvation wage.’

The Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, Chris Onyeka, said Labour would not accept the latest offer of N62,000 and the N100,000 proposal made by some individuals and economists.

Worried by the labour leaders’ demand and the concomitant economic implications, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, Wednesday said the N250,000  minimum wage proposal could undermine the economy, lead to mass retrenchment of workers and jeopardise the welfare of Nigerians.

Unmoved by Labour’s insistence on N250,000 minimum wage, the President said the government would pay workers what it can afford.

Speaking at the State House during a meeting with some governors and members of the National Assembly on the occasion of the nation’s 25th Democracy Day anniversary, Tinubu assured that the lawmakers would soon get the bill.

“Senate president, deputy senate president, you will get a notice from me if I have changed my mind on minimum wage. We are going to do it — what Nigeria can afford, what you can afford, what I can afford. They ask you to cut your coat according to your size, if you have size at all,” Tinubu said.

Tinubu also applauded the governors, saying they are doing their best to improve the welfare of the people.

“My sincere gratitude to all of you standing by me. I promise you, I won’t fail. Nigeria is a great country. We include in our national anthem the essence of service. I have seen many governors both live and on TV serving their people and many of them are here tonight,” Tinubu said.

However, Organised Labour faulted the huge pay awarded to politicians, stating that political officeholders should be paid the N62,000 minimum wage  the government was offering to workers.

Politicians’ jumbo pay

Faulting politicians’ jumbo pay, the Chairman of Trade Union Congress in  Ogun State, Akeem Lasisi, faulted jumbo pay of politicians,  in an interview   with one of our correspondents, lamented  that workers, who  generated the resources which the politicians, were enjoying,  lived in penury while the politicians lived in affluence.

He stated, “Politicians should also feel the pains of the hardship. They should learn to free themselves from the encumbrances of running the government at a high cost.

“With brilliant and consummate management of resources by paying the politicians minimum wage, the conditions of workers can still be made better than it is.”

Reacting to the President’s position that the government  would only pay the minimum wage it could afford, the TUC Chairman said it is either N250,000 minimum wage as the organised labour has proposed or nothing else.

On his part, the Secretary of the Gombe State chapter of  the NLC, Ibrahim Fika, said politicians did not feel the pain of workers because of their jumbo pay.

Adeyanju, acting for the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, attending an International Labour Organisation conference in Geneva, Switzerland, counselled Tinubu to ignore the state governors.

He stated, “The President should not listen to sycophants. He should do the proper thing. Things are difficult in Nigeria, and the President is expected to provide succour to the workers.

“He should ignore the governors. It is disheartening for the governors to claim they cannot afford N62,000. How much is N62,000?

‘Ignore govs’

“The President should ignore the governors; the president owes the Nigerian workers a duty of care to make life easier for them. Look at the cost of things. Inflation has eroded the value of the naira and the purchasing power of workers.

“So, the new minimum wage must take cognisance and factor in this economic reality. There is no way N62,000 can take care of a family with the rate of inflation in the country.

Asked if he believes political officeholders should be placed on N62,000 minimum wage, he responded, “Even if you do that, they will devise other ways of making money. The governors should do the right thing by paying their workers a living wage. It is when elections are coming they will start giving the impression that they care for their workers.’’

The Sokoto State chapter of the NLC faulted the jumbo pay for politicians and called for the implementation of minimum wage for political officeholders in the country.

The secretary of the union, Hamisu Hussain, noted, “We are fully in support of the move; political office holders should be placed on any agreed minimum wage for workers. They also need to feel what others are feeling. They need to be paid according to the minimum wage.”

He said the labour union in the state was awaiting the decision of the Federal Government which would determine the direction of their negotiation with the state government.

The NLC Chairman in Plateau State, Eugene Mangji, when politicians were made to receive N62,000 minimum wage, they would understand the plight of Nigerian workers who have been agitating for wage increase.

“Our demand for N250,000 minimum wage still stands. Politicians who want us to accept the N62,000 offer are not sincere and realistic. But if that is what they want, they should also collect the same amount and feel what we are feeling since we go to the same market. That is our demand.”

The Niger State NLC Chairman, Idrees Lafene, argued in a similar vein, stressing that the Federal Government could afford to pay the N250,000 demanded by NLC.

Lafene canvassed that Nigerian politicians should be placed on the minimum wage, adding that by so doing, there would not be any need for minimum wage negotiation.

 “The Federal Government can afford the N250,000 and so let them pay it. Why can’t they afford to pay Nigerian workers that amount,?” he queried.

The Osun TUC Chairman, Abimbola Fasasi, declared that Tinubu was probably not referring to the labour movement when he declared his government he would pay whatever it could afford as minimum wage.

According to him, the leadership of workers would be ready to join issues with the President when he officially communicated his position on the matter.

 He noted, “It is our prayer that they (political officeholders) are also placed on minimum wage for them to see how workers are coping with their take home and how easy it is. Maybe by then, they will probably understand why it is necessary for workers to earn a living wage,’’ he submitted.

In his contribution, the NLC Chairman in Rivers State, Alex Agwanwor, called on the President to fulfil his promise of paying workers a living wage, saying the proposed N62,000 cannot be described as a living wage.

Agwanwor said Tinubu’s latest comment is not tenable and contrary to the promise he made to Nigerians on assumption of office.

“We understand what a living wage is and N62, 000 is not a living wage. It can only put workers into poverty and starvation because it cannot take us anywhere considering the present economy.

“So let the President keep to his promise to pay Nigerian workers a living wage and N62, 000 is not a living wage. What we expect from the President is to mention an amount that came be described as a living wage,’’ he suggested.

Minimum wage

On his part, the TUC Chairman in Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulrahman Onikijipa insisted that the political appointees should be remunerated based on the minimum wage structure.

Meanwhile, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has advocated a drastic reduction in the cost of governance in Nigeria.

Speaking at the special edition of The Platform, an event organised by The Covenant Nation to facilitate national development, Soludo lamented that the nation is broke but government and elected officials continue to live in denial and show off flamboyant lifestyles at the detriment of the masses.

As a way to curb the developing crisis from escalating further, Soludo said political officeholders should be placed on the national minimum wage.

He said,  “Let’s come clean and straight with Nigerians. Nigeria is very poor and broke but the lifestyle of government and government officials does not show it, especially with the obscene flamboyance in public display.

“The poor are hungry and impatient, let’s not annoy them more with our insensitivity. In this case, I agree with Reverend Father Mbaka, who said elected governors should also earn minimum wage. I agree that we should be paid that so that we can feel that as well.’’

While calling for an end to wasteful spending in governance, he stressed that elected officials must always remember they are in office based on public trust.

The Ondo State chapter of the TUC supported the idea of politicians being placed on the workers’ wages.

The state TUC Chairman, Clement Fatuwase, sees this as an ideal thing to do for the country to move forward.

Asked if the state government would pay federal wages to its workers, the Plateau State Commissioner for Information, Musa Ashoms, said the state government would declare its position after the conclusion of the talks by the tripartite committee.

 “When we are ready with our figures, we will make it known to the public. We do not operate the same or amount with Taraba which has agreed with the N62,000 minimum wage. But I can tell you that we care about our civil servants and we care about the welfare of our people,” the commissioner said.

Mr Kayode Akinmade, the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Gov Dapo Abiodun, said that Ogun State Government would pay whatever is agreed with the organised labour by the Federal Government.

He said, “Whatever agreement reached at the negotiation going on between Labour and FG will be brought to the state for further deliberation between the state government and representatives of workers to find a common ground. It will be discussed taken into consideration the amount the State can afford.”

Additional reports by: Peter Dada, Akure, Bankole Taiwo, James Abraham, Tunde Oyekola,   Dennis Naku, Bola Bamigbola, Chika Otuchikere, John Charles, James Abraham, Animasahun Salman, Bankole Taiwo  and Chima Azubuike

Punch