Govt, Labour And Minimum Wage

By Paul Onomuakpokpo  

If workers under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) insist on their demand that they be paid a N56,000 minimum wage, they would set our political leaders on the path of thinking creatively about how to govern effectively. For what exists now is a situation where our leaders shield themselves against excoriation for their failure by directing the citizens to excuses that trigger their poor performance despite their genuine efforts to engender good governance.

Their major excuse now is that the nation is reeling under an economic crisis that defies an easy solution in so far as the price of crude oil has hit hard times globally.

Bent on shirking their responsibilities, our government whether at the federal or state levels apparently expects the citizens to banish the thought of their welfare being improved. Now, government officials inundate the citizens with requests to make sacrifices. They remind the citizens that they themselves are making sacrifices as they have reduced their legitimate pecuniary entitlements.

But like other citizens, the Nigerian workers are by no means deceived. For the political leaders cannot effectively persuade the citizens that they are making sacrifices on their behalf and at the same time not feeling the pains of the economic crisis like the citizens. Beneath the leaders’ claim of making sacrifices, what the citizens can see is insincerity . For the leaders cannot claim they are suffering like the citizens if their children attend schools that are different from the public schools that the children of the workers have been doomed by their economic condition to attend. Even if past leaders successfully deceived the citizens, the latter are wiser now. Those who must serve them must experience what has been their lot. The public officials cannot feel the pain of the citizens when they are still enjoying privileges that cushion them against the economic crisis.

Thankfully, the NLC sees beyond the façade of the much-touted sacrifices government officials are making and that is why it is now asking that workers’ economic plight be alleviated by their wages being upwardly reviewed. Clearly, the NLC before now had been agitating for pay rise. But the workers’ day on Monday only served as an opportunity to publicly make their demand. Even without labour making the demand, it should have been clear to government that the so-called N18,000 minimum wage being paid workers does not even have a palliative value. The high cost of living in the country now has risen with the prices of goods more than tripling.

 Even market women whose wares are locally produced have increased the prices of their goods under the guise that the naira has been weakened against the dollar. Instead of simply reviewing upwardly the minimum wage without workers even demanding this, state governors have been lamenting their impecuniousness and thus they cannot even pay this meagre amount. As if to demonstrate that the N18,000 is too much, almost all the states of the federation have failed to pay this amount to workers for months now.

Yet, there have not been reports on the media-obsessed governors that they have denied themselves their salaries. If holding public office now is really a sacrifice as our leaders would like us to believe, why are they still fighting over who would succeed them? Why are there allegations and counter-allegations of assassination attempts by our political leaders? Or why are those who have the right to re-contest for office already declaring their intention to do this when 2019 is still far? The government officials who say that they are making sacrifices cannot really convince the workers because beyond their claim, it is clear that public office is still attractive. Are they saying that they are fighting over who to take over their sacrifices and suffering in order to serve the citizens?

While the action of Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State who has offered a N25,000 minimum wage may be better than that of his colleagues who have declared that the N18,000 minimum wage is too much for them to pay, the workers must not allow themselves to be distracted from their demand for a better minimum wage. The issue here is not whether or not his intention is sincere or whether or not he wants to create problems for his successor.

Our government has refused to think of other ways of generating revenue since the price of crude has crashed. The government does not think of agriculture, the exploration of other mineral resources and other ways of raising revenue. Since our leaders are fixated on the oil, the NLC’s demand would force them to think creatively. If they must avoid an industrial crisis that would throw their incompetence and insensitivity to the well-being of the citizens into sharp relief, then they must meet the demand of the workers. And this they can only do by seeking fresh ways of generating revenue. It is good that labour has not excluded the states that claim to be broke and are not paying salaries now. They must all be made to think of other means of generating revenue for the development of their states. If our leaders cannot think of running their government without oil revenue like some nations of the world that do not depend on oil, then they should declare that they are not capable of being at the helms of affairs of the country and their states. In that case, the only path of honour open for them is to resign. The citizens can no longer allow themselves to be subjected to avoidable suffering because of the incompetence of their leaders.

The labour’s move should make our government to set much store by prioritization. There are state governments that claim that they cannot pay N18, 000 to workers, yet they are setting up grandiose projects like additional universities. This is despite the fact that such state governments cannot even pay the lecturers in their current universities. There are other states that are building airports that are not viable. Budgets are being padded and there are huge constituency projects that in reality are not executed for the benefit of the citizens. Were the workers not here when the senators bought sport utility vehicles for themselves at exorbitant prices?

It is commendable that the NLC has declared that it is open for negotiation with the government in order to arrive at an acceptable minimum wage. If the government exists for the people, it must do what they are asking for. Our political leaders must take cognisance of the crucial point that labour may be making , which is that if the rest of the citizens are suffering on account of the existing economic crisis, the leaders must show through their lifestyles that they are conscious of this. It must not be only the workers who must suffer while the leaders are continuing to wallow in their sybaritic splendor.

*Dr. Onomuakpokpo is on the Editorial Board of The Guardian (Nigeria)