The federal government has faulted the irregular practice of state governmentsestablishing ministries and departments of labour, and implementing parallel guidelines and policies to those developed at the federal level.
Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment Mrs Kachallom Daju criticised this trend by states while flagging off the 2023 Session of the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC), in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state recently.
She said NLAC would critically discuss that emerging trend, which if left unchecked, could destabilise the already challenged labour administration system in Nigeria.
Daju described the practice as counter-productive, and pointed out that it went against Section 34 of the Second Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which placed labour matters on the Exclusive List, thereby reserving the power to legislate on labour-related matters exclusively to the federal government.
According to her, another crucial item for discussion by the Council would be the need for state governments to embrace a uniform implementation of the Minimum Wage Act 2019.
She noted the need to align the minimum wage with the current economic realities, as well as the International Labour Standards that serve as the bedrock of legal framework for labour administration in Nigeria.
Daju also remarked that Nigeria needed to develop strategies to bridge the gaps identified by the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEARCR), on the application of Conventions No. 26 on Wage Fixing Machinery, 1928; and No. 95 on Protection of Wages, 1949.
She noted that this had become crucial in the face of the impact of the recent removal of subsidy on petrol on the Nigerian workers.
