The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the implied threat by governors to sack workers if the new minimum wage of N30, 000 must be implemented.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, in a statement on Thursday, however, noted that such threats were not new in the struggle for review of the national minimum wage calling on workers to vote out governors and politicians who do not have the interest of labour at heart.
Referring to the governors’ threat, he said labour was not intimidated.
The statement read: “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.
“To the oppressors, we have only one answer for you, we will never sleep on our rights.
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“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.
“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.”
Urging each governor to return to his state and inform workers on his position on the new national minimum wage of N30, 000, the statement further said: “The 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) recognises individual states in the Collective Bargaining Process not Nigeria Governors Forum. The states, like the other social partners, have already defended their positions during negotiations at the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Negotiation Committee vis-à-vis counter proposals.
“Alhaji Yari should desist from using the platform of the Nigeria Governors Forum to seek political relevance. His tactics of blackmail against workers is already time worn and the stench is already offensive.
Wabba urged the President to as a matter of urgency present to the National Assembly the bill on the National Minimum Wage for appropriate amendment and implementation.
