NLC wants FG to implement new minimum wage before May

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) wants the Federal Government to
commence the implementation of the new national minimum wage for workers
in the country before the May Day Celebration.

NLC Chairman Ayuba Wabba

Mr Najeem Yasin, Acting President of NLC, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

He commended the Senate for approving the minimum wage bill of
N30,000 on Tuesday and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly
sign the bill into law.

The House of Representatives had earlier approved
N30,000 as new national minimum wage before embarking on break for the
2019 general election.

The Nigeria Governors Forum had proposed N24,000 while the Federal Government forwarded N27,000 to the National Assembly.

“We commend the Senate for passing the minimum wage bill of N30,000
but the battle for the minimum wage was not yet over; workers will not
rest until the bill is signed and implemented.

“But it is not yet over because we want them to make sure that the
process gets to the logical conclusion and for the quick implementation
of that N30,000, Nigerian workers are happy and commend them.

“We want the federal government to ensure its implementation before
the May Day celebration, which is the Workers Day celebration.
Government should greet workers with the commencement of the
implementation,” the labour leader said.

Yasin, who is also the National President of National Union of Road
Transport Workers (NURTW), called on the federal government to ensure
effective sanctions for employers who refused to implement the N30,000 national minimum wage.

“We have been fighting for this N30,000 for a long time and the
governors have been opposed to it. But now, it has been passed. Nigerian
workers are now looking forward to the signing of the bill into law,”
Yasin said.

Mr Amechi Asugwuni, NLC Deputy President, also called on President
Mohammadu Buhari to follow the path of honour and immediately sign into
law the new pay rise document once he received it.

He, however, disagreed on call by the Senate for a review of the revenue sharing formula which gave federal government 56 percent,
states 24 and local government 20 percent.

He argued that the minimum wage bill was an independent bill which
should not be subjected to adjustments in sharing formula by the
Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission.

According to him, such calls could further slow down the already overdue implementation of the new minimum wage.

Also, Mr Joe Ajaero, President, United Labour Congress (ULC), commended the Senate for the passage of the N30,000 minimum wage.

Ajaero called on the federal government to ensure that the process of
the national minimum wage implementation should not be beyond March and
April.

“Government should ensure that this year May Day should be a day to
celebrate the implementation of the national minimum wage. I want to say
that by May 1, all employers of Labour should have implemented it,” he
added.