Organised Labour, yesterday, issued a December 31 deadline to the Federal Government to send a draft bill on the new national minimum wage to the National Assembly for passage into law to avoid a nationwide strike in the new year.
At a national leadership meeting of leaders of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, and United Labour Congress of Nigeria, ULC, held in Lagos, the Organised Labour also rejected the Federal Government’s plan to set up another high-powered Technical Committee on the new minimum wage, describing it as “diversionary and delay tactics.” Sack threat, invitation to anarchy – Labour In a communiqué signed Ayuba Wabba, Bobboi Kaigama and Joe Ajaero, President of NLC, TUC and ULC, respectively, they threatened a nationwide strike from January 2, 2019, should the Federal Government fail to send the a draft bill on the new national minimum wage to NASS before December 31, 2018.
Reading the communiqué on behalf of the three Labour Centres, Wabba said: “almost two months of the submission of the report of the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee’s report which included a draft bill, no bill has been submitted to the National Assembly for passage into law. The Federal Government is planning to set up a high-powered Technical Committee which is alien to the tripartite process and International Labour Organization, ILO, conventions on National Minimum Wage setting mechanism. Minimum wage, now the hard part The National Minimum Wage Committee was both Technical and all-encompassing in its compositions. The National Minimum Wage is not only for public sector workers, but for all workers both private and public.”
The communiqué reads: “Consequently, the meeting resolves as follows that the Federal Government is expected to transmit the New National Minimum Wage Bill to the National Assembly on or before December 31, 2018. “We reject in its entirety the plan by the federal government to set up another high-powered technical Committee on the new national minimum wage. It is diversionary and a delay tactics. “Nigerian workers are urged to be vigilant and prepared to campaign and vote against candidates and Political Parties who are not supportive of the implementation of the New National Minimum Wage. Finally Organised Labour will not guarantee industrial Peace and harmony if after the 31st of December 2018, the Draft Bill is not transmitted to the National Assembly.” “This serves as a statutory notice for Organised Labour to recall our suspended Nation-wide Industrial action.”
