Liberal Mind

Minimum Wage: What is the Consequential Adjustment? 

 

With Ayobrown Adetunji

There is strategy and manoeuvre in chess called fork – where you take one of your piece to attack two of your opponent’s pieces. Basically, forcing him to choose which way he wants to lose. It is fun because you watch them squirm. Many hardly believe that the organised labour is still struggling with the Federal Government over N30,000 minimum wage; Nigerians are wondering that such scenario would be at play in spite of the initial announcement.
Assumption and speculations on the minimum wages are great fun if you want to observe mass psychology. When I wrote ‘Honesty of Dishonesty’; the analysis of all likely antics that surrounds the N30,000 new minimum wages relative to expected and anticipated increase in petrol pump price. Friends and foes became many but analyses of those not supporting my stand agreed with the fact that Federal Government action is despicable, and that it is sincere with the labour. Unfortunately, the over-joyous labour is not aware of the unfaithfulness on the part of the paymaster, the FG.
Truly and behold, among today’s headlines; ‘Minimum wage: Labour rejects FG’s proposal’. News on social media had it that the committee set up to negotiate the consequential adjustment arising from the N30,000 new minimum wage rejected what the government is offering, all after the initial noise of the new increment. Funny enough, with the detailed available information from the labour union, though kept under wrap, revealed government’s position on the momentous modification and which was rejected by labour representatives in the committee. Buhari’s candour seems to have indeed disarmed the wary labour, but it is not the best thing to do if you ask me. How Buhari-led APC is manoeuvring its labour should be a good case study. Abnormality sounds funny, but then, there is no drama in normalcy.
Some hide their true identities and characters, but unfortunately for them, they revealed it by hiding, what a masked society people are wont to wonder. Labour was quoted to have said that “there are some challenges, and that the government negotiating team is looking at what the FG can pay conveniently despite initial agreement and announcement, but labour is also looking at what will be good for every worker so as to prevent a situation where workers found themselves in comatose when the minimum wage is eventually increased.
You cannot run away from weakness, you must fight it or perish; “we are still monitoring the negotiations between our representatives and government”, sources quoted the labour as stating but people are wondering what new intercession after all the brouhaha that was before the last presidential and general elections. But loosing can be advantageous because it forced you to change when time comes, the Nigerian masses opined.
Sometimes, you have to fight to come to terms with the past, or bury your regret only by changing your tactics and formula. According to some analysts, the new minimum wage seems to be fair to workers, but most states of the federation were categorical, stating reasons for their inability to meet-up with this monthly demand, even with all the bailouts plus the monthly federal allocations. This is considering the fact that many of the new and old governors said they cannot afford to implement the increase … then what is consequential adjustment of the N30,000 new minimum wages? Therefore, for the organised labour to escape the pangs of regrets, they may have to make a new choice; but now, it is not clear or known the available choices labour had.
For reasons best known to them, many sometimes agree that any sentiment is better than boredom of sanctuary, but with terrible cost. Before the last presidential election, promising heaven and earth, pleading and begging labour, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered and agreed with those terms, payment of the new wage should have been a thing of the past by now, but APC leadership tricked Nigerian workers just to win at all cost and now the elections are over, the story has turned sour.
Sometime to move forward, you may have to go backward while blatantly taking something from someone forcefully is treacherous, even for the powerful. Fictitious FG had indeed gotten what it wanted, but for the meek labour, what next. Without been litigious, it seems the victim here is bent on plotting revenge(s) sort of. Because no matter how politely it looks, it is hazardous to simply ask for that something, unless the other party will also gain, they may come to resent the need… as stated in symbiosis relationship, learn to give before you take…it softens the ground but Buhari/APC did otherwise.
How fleeting workers’ happiness on this new minimum wage will be, time will surely tell, available information stated that government came up with a bulk figure and out of poor negotiations because of insufficient time, and a paltry sum was spread on workers’ salaries, translating into meagre N900 increase monthly during the last increment and a repetition of this is likely.
Summing it up, the fact that the presidential and general elections are over, Buhari and APC can do whatever they like with the Nigerian workers. Just as it is said and forecasted, the labour is now in dilemma in reaching agreement based on what happened when minimum wage was last increased and also to avoid blackmail by the FG.
Negotiation has a powerful ramification; though, money is the oil that smoothes the wheel of life, but in the long-run, it is a placebo and not a cure, coming down is easy, but going up later may almost be impossible. Indeed, Nigeria is a strange nation where the least important things are giving consideration over the important ones while the most important thing is still hanging on.
Prophesy is indeed a treacherous mania, a case of quenching thirst and immediately turning back on the well, believing there is no need for it anymore. As it came to pass, I predicted what is happening today; perhaps labour gave its best but uncritically to a government that hardly think about its workforce in return. Labour should not be fooled by the government excuse of being rational; it is nothing but irrational technical analysis. For it to be in control, organised labour ought to be well informed, so also, the FG should remember that debt is a millstone around its neck, it can affect its health as well as the wealth of the nation.
Action has consequences, most often, many confused romance for friendship, not because of any likeness is the FG romancing labour before the presidential and general elections just to get what it wanted, but now the many hope the organised labour is not forked.
*Ayobrown, Senior System Analyst, National Pilot  Newspaper, writes via [email protected]

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