Minimum wage: NLC condemns threat by governors to sack workers

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC ) has condemned threat by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), to sack workers if the new national minimum wage of N30,000 is implemented.

Mr. Ayuba Wabba, NLC President, in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, said the threat was not new.

Wabba was reacting to the statement made by the Chairman of NGF, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara, threatening to sack workers on the account of the new national minimum wage of N30, 000.

He said that the process of negotiation by the tripartite social partners for a new wage has ended and a new National Minimum Wage of N30,000 agreed upon by government, labour and employers in the private sector

According to Wabba, the threat to sack workers is not new in the struggle for review of national minimum wage.

“Therefore, the current one by the governor of Zamfara cannot be used to intimidate labour.

“The consequences of workers retrenchment are too grievous for any political office holder truly elected by the people to contemplate.

“ Few political office holders are bent on enslaving Nigerian workers with peanuts mislabeled as salaries.

“We urge such elected public officials to subject their humongous salaries and allowances, reputed to be among the highest in the world to public perusal.

“Pro rata with the minimum wage they want to force down the throats of Nigerian workers, ‘’he said.

Wabba urged each of the state governor to go to their respective state and inform workers on their individual position on the new national minimum wage of N30, 000.

The NLC president further urged workers to remain steadfast and firm on their rights to decent wages and improved living conditions.

“To the oppressors, we have only one answer for you, we will never sleep on our rights.

“We hereby reiterate our directive to Nigerian workers to vote out any politician or political party that refuses to pay the new national minimum wage of N30, 000.

“We shall continue to consolidate our efforts to strengthen already existing platforms and structures to give teeth to our resolve to vote out anti-labour governors and politicians in the forthcoming 2019 general election, ‘’Wabba said.

He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to speedily present to the National Assembly the bill on the National Minimum Wage for appropriate amendment and implementation.

“It would interest Nigerians to know that the new national minimum wage of N30,000 was a product of intense and robust negotiations at the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Negotiation Committee that lasted for one year.

“ At the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Negotiation Committee, state governments were represented by six states, one state from each of the six geo-political zones."