by Nurat Uthman
Nigeria tops the list for delegate registration at the ongoing 112th International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland, with a delegation count surpassing that of 186 other nations.
The International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) published list shows Nigeria’s delegation as the largest, with Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, the minister of state for labour and productivity, at the helm of 289 delegates.
This delegation is detailed as 108 government delegates, 62 employers’ delegates, and 116 workers’ delegates, with an additional two individuals accompanying the minister.
Representatives from the Nigeria Labour Congress, led by Joe Ajaero, and the Trades Union Congress, headed by Festus Osifo, are included as workers’ delegates.
Trailing Nigeria, Brazil has registered 191 delegates, Argentina 156, Mexico 140, and Ghana 133.
The conference, concluding on June 14, will tackle pressing issues such as worker protection from climate change and biological threats, the care economy, and core labour rights.
Elections for the ILO’s governing body for the 2024-2027 term are also on the agenda.
This foreign trip comes amid a struggle for the upward review of the minimum wage by the organised labour.
The labour recently embarked on a two-day national strike, which paralysed economic activities across the country.
The worker’s unions had initially requested ₦615,000 as the new minimum wage but later adjusted their demand to ₦494,000 and now ₦200,000.
The federal government is offering ₦62,000, which governors said is not sustainable.
The current minimum wage was increased from N18,000 to N30,000 during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2019. Not all states are paying the current wage, which expires in April 2024. The minimum wage act should be reviewed every five years to meet up with contemporary economic demands of workers
Here is the list of Nigeria’s delegation at the ILC below
