NLC vows to mobilise members against removal of minimum wage from exclusive list

The Senate voted to remove workers wages from exclusivelist of the constitution.
The Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) has vowed to mobilise its members
across the country against plans by the Senate to remove minimum wage
from exclusive to concurrent list.
Addressing newsmen shortly after NLC congress on Thursday in Abuja,
the president, Abdulwaheed Omar, said labour would do all within its
power to ensure thatthe proposal did not scale through.
According to him, if the proposal scales through, it will plunge
workers into untold hardship that will further affect the growth of
the economy.
"The national executive council meeting in its meeting therefore
resolved to mobilise its members across the country against the
decision of the Senate," he said.
He said the NLC had drawn up a number of measures to persuade the
Senate to desist from carrying out its proposal.
Mr. Omar said that NLC had equally earmarked several activities that
would be carried out after a meeting of the National Executive Council
of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.
He said the NLC would also meet with relevant stakeholders, including
some members of the Senate, theHouse of Representatives and state
Houses of Assembly, among others.
The president further said that the provisions, as proposed by the
Senate, excluded the private sector "which is also a bedrock of the
economy''.
"If such an amendment is allowed to go through, it means that
tomorrow, Nigerian workers will wake up without any moderation.
"Their employers will determine what to pay them and since there is no
legislation on ground, they won't have anywhere to lay their
complaints.
"It is not too late and we are still urging the Senate to listen to
the voice of reason.
"The putting of minimum wage in exclusive list is not anaccident. It
is a very carefully calculated thing in order to make sure that the
most vulnerable group of workersare taken care of," he said.
He said labour would continue to negotiate with well-meaning
Nigerians, including members of the House of Representatives, who did
not toe the line of the Senate, as well as state Houses of Assembly.
Mr. Omar said that congress also noted, with grave concern, the
lingering ASUU strike.
(NAN)