Labour Reacts To Governors’ Threat To Sack Workers Over New Minimum Wage

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC ) has reacted to threat by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), to sack workers if the new national minimum wage of N30,000 is implemented.

Newsflash247 had reported that the Chairman of NGF, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara State, was quoted as saying, ”the proposed wage would be paid if labour would agree to downsizing of the workforce across the country “or Federal Government itself accedes to the review of the national revenue allocation formula”.

However, reacting, Wabba said the threat to sack workers was not new.

He said, “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,” NAN quoted him as saying.

He, therefore, urged each of the state governor to go to their respective state and inform workers on their individual position on the new national minimum wage of N30, 000.

“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 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, ‘’Wabba said.

“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.”