Minimum wage: Labour begins mobilisation against govs
… Tells APC, PDP to call govs to order
By Bimbola Oyesola
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), at the weekend, directed
affiliates all over the Federation to begin mobilisation against any
state governor who attempts to reverse payment of the N18,000 minimum
wage.
This is even as it called on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to call their governors to order, warning that any attempt to renege on the payment of the national minimum wage or engage in mass sack of workers will throw the country into industrial disharmony and chaos either now or in the new year.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said this became necessary owing to the insistence and determination of the chairman of the Governors Forum, Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State and his colleagues to go ahead with the reduction of the national minimum wage or, in the alternative, embark on massive retrenchment of workers.
Wabba said Yari’s statement, last week, could have been in reaction to the Congress’ earlier statement that the threat by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to jettison the N18, 000 national minimum wage would amount to a declaration of war against the working people of Nigeria.
“By his reaction, Congress is convinced that Governor Yari is still holding on to his earlier argument that, due to the fall in the price of crude oil, at the international market, state governments are no longer in the position to pay the legal minimum wage to their workers,” he said.
He, however, noted that governors, regardless of political coloration, ‘took the oath of office to defend the laws and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Stating that the Minimum Wage Act of 2010 which legitimises the negotiated N18,000 is part of the laws of the Federation.”
He warned that Nigerian workers would defend the rule of law including the Minimum Wage Law.
“By this statement, Congress is putting our state councils and our industrial union affiliates at a full state of alert and to commence mobilisation to ensure that we can respond speedily and promptly to any action of the governors to carry out their threat…”
This is even as it called on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to call their governors to order, warning that any attempt to renege on the payment of the national minimum wage or engage in mass sack of workers will throw the country into industrial disharmony and chaos either now or in the new year.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said this became necessary owing to the insistence and determination of the chairman of the Governors Forum, Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State and his colleagues to go ahead with the reduction of the national minimum wage or, in the alternative, embark on massive retrenchment of workers.
Wabba said Yari’s statement, last week, could have been in reaction to the Congress’ earlier statement that the threat by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to jettison the N18, 000 national minimum wage would amount to a declaration of war against the working people of Nigeria.
“By his reaction, Congress is convinced that Governor Yari is still holding on to his earlier argument that, due to the fall in the price of crude oil, at the international market, state governments are no longer in the position to pay the legal minimum wage to their workers,” he said.
He, however, noted that governors, regardless of political coloration, ‘took the oath of office to defend the laws and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Stating that the Minimum Wage Act of 2010 which legitimises the negotiated N18,000 is part of the laws of the Federation.”
He warned that Nigerian workers would defend the rule of law including the Minimum Wage Law.
“By this statement, Congress is putting our state councils and our industrial union affiliates at a full state of alert and to commence mobilisation to ensure that we can respond speedily and promptly to any action of the governors to carry out their threat…”
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