The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have threatened to embark on nationwide strike over N30,000 minimum wage which the federal government approved as applicable both in public and private sector.
NLC President Ayuba Wabba on Saturday also said that the industrial action would continue if the proposed bill which seeks to transfer minimum wage to the concurrent list is passed by the National Assembly.
Wabba at an event to mark Workers’ Day in Abuja, said: “There have been attempts by a section the ruling class to remove the national minimum wage from Exclusive Legislative list to the concurrent list.”
“This is condemnable. The national minimum wage is a global standard.
“Therefore, we are reinforcing our earlier position to state that Nigerian workers will not allow a situation where the progress we have made for the past 40 years to be taken by these group of politicians we are going to insist that any day that this law is considered by any of the chambers, Nigerian workers are going to withdraw their services.”
NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC), bemoaned the high rate of job losses and casualisation of workers.
In his address to mark the workers day, President Muhammadu Buhari said that the minimum wage applies to federal, states, local governments as well as the private sector.
Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, who represented Buhari added that he is opposed to moving the minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list.
Buhari at the occasion, maintained that the minimum wage law signed by the president in 2019 was a national law that everyone must obey.
“Private sector and state governors are bound by the laws, because we have workers as prescribed in that law. So, it is not a question of pick and choose.
“We moved the national minimum wage from N18, 000 per month to N30,000. It is an irreducible plus. Therefore, we expect them and the people in the private sector to comply.”
He assured the workers that the federal government was against any attempt to remove the national minimum wage from the Exclusive List, adding that the issue of pension minimum wage is backed by the constitution, and every employer is bound by it. He assured that the federal government would pay all minimum wage arrears owed pensioners from 2019 to date.
“All pensioners in the federal civil service are to get their arrears paid beginning from May 1, 2021.”
