The leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday issued a threatened to embark on nationwide industrial action if Federal Government fails to commence implementation of the N56,000 new national minimum wage by May 2017.
Ayuba Wabba, NLC President who issued the threat notice during a chat with some select Labour Correspondents in Abuja, decried the non-inclusion of the new wage increase in theN7.298 trillion for the 2017 fiscal year presented by President Muhammadu Buhari before the joint session of the National Assembly last week.
The NLC chieftain who decried the poor remuneration of average Nigerian worker who currently earn N18,000 per month, amidst economic recession, argued that the Congress may not be able to guarantee industrial peace in the country, if the government fails to constitute the tripartite committee to put mechanism in place for the implementation of the new Minimum Wage on or before May 1, 2017.
“The issue of minimum wage remains sacrosanct because of the fact that by law and practice, the review is due and overdue. I have said clearly that we cannot guarantee any industrial peace any longer if necessary steps are not taken by government to try to resolve this issue before the next May Day. This is very clear because as we said, we have sent formal notice of demand as required by law to government to try to constitute the Committee.
“Essentially, the committee to dialogue and negotiate the minimum wage which is supposed to be tripartite has not been set up. If it is set up, all of you will be aware of the membership and also their terms of reference and the timeline given to them to actually dispose with this very vital issue.
“The issue is so sensitive because of the fact that a lot of our members have actually been subjected to a lot of difficulties because the purchasing power of ordinary Nigerian workers has been reduced to virtually nothing because of the inflation in the system, the free fall of the naira and to compound it with high cost of goods and services. More so, most workers now cannot meet up with their daily needs, they can’t pay their rents, they can’t send their children to school.
“It is even more compounded because cost of goods and services have gone up. So, side by side with the issue of fighting corruption is also for workers to be paid a decent wage that they can be able to have a meaningful living, so, this is the challenge,” the NLC President lamented.
While reacting to the non-inclusion of funds for the new minimum wage, the NLC chieftain expressed optimism that Federal Government and National Assembly will see reason to accommodate the fund when the tripartite agree on the new national minimum wage.
“They must see reason to try to accommodate it because the fact is very obvious that it is legitimately due both in law and practice and therefore this is our approach. Once it is mutually agreed and from the statements I have listened to, I have not heard government say that they are not willing to consider the issue of minimum wage. I think the Minister of Labour has said very clearly that they are committed to review the minimum wage, but when is the issue now.
“Therefore let us not mix two things, is there a resistant to say that there will be no review of minimum wage? I am not sure I have heard that because by our constant interaction, the government has through the Minister of Labour said they are also willing to review the minimum wage. As I said earlier, we have made a formal demand, written and therefore if there is the need to review the template, we will do that at the table but that will have to be jointly. What we have submitted is N56,000 and therefore that N56,000 is still valid,” Wabba said.
While responding to the recent launch of the new Labour centre -United Labour Congress (ULC) led by Joe Ajaero and Igwe Achese, the NLC president alleged that those championing the new labour centre were desperate to occupy certain positions at all cost, despite an earlier truce meeting where all parties agreed that NLC was a single entity.
“We didn’t want our class opponents to use them as the weak link to undermine the solidarity of our movement.
“Unfortunately, as Nigerians saw during our last national strike against the fuel price increase by the Federal Government, our comrades chose to allow themselves to be used as willing tools to undermine our collective struggle.
“It is quite ironic that these comrades can’t see the contradiction between their empty rhetorics on wanting to ‘fight non-payment of salaries’ and collaboration with the state to undermine popular action of the working people and the Nigerian masses. And yet when congress was in the frontline forcing their home state government(s) to pay workers’ wages and halt retrenchment of thousands of workers, they were nowhere to be seen.
“The Congress wish to assure all our members including those of NUEE, NUPENG and others listed as having attended the alleged launch of the new centre, that the NLC will continue to provide protection for them, and will ensure that their leaders do not out of their consuming ambition to be leaders of a ‘national center’ lead them into the wilderness,” Wabba urged.
Some of the affiliates of the NLC and Trade Union Congress who defected to ULC include: NUPENG, NUEE, Nigeria Union of Mine Workers, National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Employees, Nigeria Union of Rail Workers, National Union of Lottery Agents and Employees, Association of Nigeria Aviation, Professionals, National Association Aircraft Pilots and Engineers among others.
