The Nigerian Senate has promised to accelerate efforts to pass a new national minimum wage bill into law, but will take a comprehensive approach considering the ability of states, local governments and the private sector to pay higher wages, the Senate President said Tuesday.
Speaking during plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended labor unions for suspending an indefinite strike for one week to allow further negotiations with the federal government on increasing the minimum wage.
“We will continue to do our best by making contributions and at the same time awaiting the incoming Bill on Minimum Wage for us to enact for the benefit of all Nigerians,” Akpabio stated.
He said the Senate stepped down a motion calling on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to suspend the strike after learning the unions had already done so for a week.
Akpabio cautioned that setting the minimum wage too high could lead to retrenchments, adding that a comparative analysis would be done on how many states, local governments and employers were able to pay the current N30,000 ($65) minimum wage set by an act of the National Assembly.
“We’ll be looking at those things because it’s important that holistic approach be looked at,” he said
The Senate President thanked the NLC and TUC “for listening to the voice of Nigerians and the international community by calling off the strike to enable negotiations to continue.”
The motion to suspend the strike was sponsored by Senator Diket Plang, who chairs the Senate Committee on Labour and Employment.
Labor unions have been pushing for an increase to the national minimum wage, currently set at N30,000 monthly, which labor leaders say no longer reflects current economic realities.
