Human Rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has said that the National Assembly can address the impasse between the Federal Government and Organised Labour over a living minimum wage by expediting action to pass a new National Minimum Wage Act like the swift way it did with the enactment of the National Anthem Act last week.
Falana’s call came at a time the leadership of the National Assembly was meeting with delegation of the Federal Government and leadership of the Organised Labour which highlighted the urgent need for a swift resolution to the impasse
Falana in a statement on Sunday, June 2, 2024, stressed that the call for an ongoing indefinite nationwide strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), was a result of the failure of the Federal Government to pay a realistic living new minimum wage.
He noted that the National Minimum Wage Act 2019 expired in April which makes a review which was long overdue necessary and imperative.
The renowned lawyer specifically noted that Section 3(4) of the Act, which stipulates that the national minimum wage expires after five years ought to have been reviewed by the National Assembly in accordance with the Act’s provisions without being prompted.
Falana particularly said that the current national minimum wage of N30,000, which was fixed in 2019 was no longer tenable, stressing that the Federal Government’s proposed wage award of N48,000 was inadequate and not in tandem with reality.
The Human Rights Lawyer said that moreover, some State Governments, specifically Edo and Lagos, have already announced higher minimum wages of N70,000.
Falana therefore urged the National Assembly to take prompt action, just as they did with the National Anthem Act, to pass a new National Minimum Wage Act that reflects the current economic realities and meets the demands of Nigerian workers.
