The three Labour centres in Nigeria has given Federal Government on or before December 31st 2018 to transmit the N30.000 national minimum wage draft Bill to the National Assembly for passage into law or face a total shut down of the country.
The labour centres, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and United Labour Congress (ULC) after a joint meeting in Abuja, said it sad that it’s two months now the national Minimum wage tripartite committee submitted it’s report, Government has not deem it fit to send it to the National Assembly.
According to a communique jointly signed by Comrades Ayuba Wabba, Bobbio Kaigama, and Joe Ajaero as presidents of NLC, TUC and ULC respectively, lamented that the high-powered Technical Committee Federal Government planned to set up is alien to the Tripartite process and ILO conventions on National Minimum Wage setting mechanism.
The Organised Labour warned that minimum wage is not for public workers alone, adding that the tripartite committee was both technical and all encompassing.
They further put Nigerians and workers on red alert for a robust campaign to vote out political parties and politicians who are not supportive of the new Minimum wage.
The communique reads “That almost two (2) 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.
“That the federal Government is planning to set up a high-powered Technical Committee which is alien to the Tripartite process and ILO conventions on National Minimum Wage setting mechanism. That the National Minimum Wage Committee was both Technical and all-encompassing in its compositions.
“That the National Minimum Wage is not only for Public sector workers but for all workers both Private and Public.
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 the 31st of December 2018. That 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”.
