Ikenna Atanah
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has contested moves by a section of Nigeria’s political class to move the national minimum wage from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List.
It stated that the move is a ploy to cheat Nigeria’s working class, adding that the action which undermines Nigeria’s working class is a foreboding effort to destroy the very fabrics that holds the Nigerian nation together.
The NLC position is in response to a Bill sponsored by Honourable Garba Datti Mohammed of Sabon Gari Federal Constituency, Kaduna State which had passed the 1st and 2nd reading.
It said, “The attention of the entire working class in Nigeria has been drawn to a bill which was listed in the House of Representatives as HB 950. This bill which was sponsored by Honourable Garba Datti Mohammed of Sabon Gari Federal Constituency, Kaduna State had passed the 1st and 2nd reading in February 2021.
“The NEC considered that the bill is a classic case of the ‘Hand of Esau and the Voice of Jacob’ as it has all the imprimatur of anti-workers forces in the political establishment.”
In a communique signed by the Acting General Secretary, Ismail Bello on Tuesday, the Committee described the move as an attempt to negate the struggle and fight by Nigerian workers to get the National Minimum Wage passed as an Act of Parliament forty years ago.
It noted that the issues of national minimum wage is a global standard adopted by the International Labour Organization through Convention 26 which was ratified by Nigeria on June 16, 1961.
The NLC said the planned exclusion is not only retrogressive but also an attempt to enslave Nigerian workers.
“The political elites in Nigeria have remained the problem of the Nigerian State who through their actions and inactions have ensured that Nigeria remained divided along ethnic, tribal and religious lines for their own selfish purposes.
“This dividing influence of our political class has become increasingly prominent in recent times.
“This challenge has even transcended to public institutions which have shifted away from holding and promoting nationalistic views to championing very narrow and hollow ethno-religious sentiments.
“The NEC described as very unfortunate the fact that at this challenging period in our national life, the political class seeks to add fuel to the fire burning in our country by declaring a war against the working class of Nigeria and prosecuting same by attacking the core rights of workers.”
It disclosed that there will be a national protest action commencing from the 10th of March 2021 in the Federal Capital Territory and especially to the National Assembly, adding that the protest is to make a strong statement that Nigerian workers would not lie low and watch hard fought rights which are of global standards bastardized by politicians.
It said, “The NEC decided that should the need arise; it has empowered the National Administrative Council of the NLC to declare and enforce a national strike action especially if the legislators continue on the ruinous path of moving the National Minimum Wage from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List.
“The NEC resolved that the national protest action will be concurrently held in all the 36 states of the federation and to the different State Houses of Assembly across Nigeria.”