Labour Congress pledges commitment to workers welfare, new minimum wage

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has pledged commitment to workers welfare while appealing to the Federal Government to urgently transmit the bill on the new national minimum wage to the National Assembly.

NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, made the pledge in a New Year Message yesterday in Abuja, saying 2018 was one of the most traumatic year for workers, especially given the failure of government to enact and implement the new national minimum wage of N30,000.

“This is in spite of the impeccable tripartite process leading to the agreement by the social partners on the new national minimum wage. It is unfortunate that the Federal Government is yet to transmit to the National Assembly an executive bill for the enactment of N30,000 as the new national minimum wage.

“Government’s dilly-dallying on the issue has strained its relations with labour and has a potential of resulting to a major national strike, which may be days away.

“Accordingly, we would use this opportunity to appeal to the government to do the needful by urgently transmitting the bill on the new national minimum wage to the National Assembly.

“We also would like to use this opportunity to urge workers to fully mobilise for a prolonged national strike and enforce their rights,” he said.

The NLC president said the strike became the inevitable last option for labour, while calling on all Nigerians and businesses to understand and support it.

He, however, assured workers that their labour, patience and diligence would not be in vain.

Wabba said the NLC leadership remained committed to giving all that it takes to ensure that workers get just and fair wages in a decent work environment appropriate to their well being.

He added that the leadership was similarly committed to ensuring there is social protection faor workers.

“In the year, the NLC remains committed to the national and workers’ goals, which include the campaign for industrialisation, against selective enforcement of No-Work-No-Pay policy of government, among others.

“We will work hard to promote and advocate the removal of all barriers to industrialisation, growth and productivity. We should be able to build a country where we produce what we consume.

“We cannot continue to export precious jobs to other countries through successive poor policy choices of government and expect to change our unfortunate status as the poverty capital of the world,” he said.

The labour leader also described government’s No-Work-No-Pay policy as a policy aimed at hounding and victimising workers.