The Nigeria
Labour Congress (NLC ) has reacted to threat by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum
(NGF), to sack workers if the new national minimum wage of N30,000 is
implemented.
It was had
reported that the Chairman of NGF, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara
State, was quoted as saying, ”the proposed wage would be paid if labour would
agree to downsizing of the workforce across the country “or Federal Government
itself accedes to the review of the national revenue allocation formula”.
However,
reacting, Wabba said the threat to sack workers was not new.
He said,
“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,”
NAN quoted him as saying.
He,
therefore, 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.
“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.
“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.”
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