Minimum wage: We cannot be intimidated – Labour tells Governors

The Nigeria Labour Congress has condemned threat by the Nigeria Governors Forum, to sack workers if the new national minimum wage of N 30 , 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 N 30 , 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 N 30 , 000 agreed upon by the government, labour and employers in the private sector has emerged .

According to Wabba , the threat to sack workers is not new in the struggle for review of the 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 of their individual positions on the new national minimum wage of N 30 , 000 .

The NLC president further urged workers to remain steadfast and firm on their right 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 N 30 , 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 .

( NAN )

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