The Nigeria Labour Congress yesterday protested nationwide over the delay in the approval of N30,000 as new national minimum wage.
In Osun State, NLC chairman, Comrade Jacob Adekola led the protest which took place at the popular Olaiya junction in Osogbo.
The protesting labour activists in the state were joined by the civil servants.
Adekomi said workers deserved better pay and appealed to the federal government to implement the new minimum wage without further delay.
Minimum wage to determine who’ll win 2019 polls-Bayelsa workers
Organised labour unions in Bayelsa State said that the new national minimum wage would largely determine the electoral preference of workers during 2019 general elections in the state.
The state chairman of the NLC, Comrade John Ndiomu and Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Mr Tari Dounana, stated this in Yenagoa yesterday during a protest to drive its demand for the upward review of the national minimum wage from N18,000 to N30,000.
Ndiomu, who decried the delay in transmitting the recommendations of the Tripartite Committee on the new minimum wage to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Workers want labour minister removed
The Nigeria Labour Congress yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to remove the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, whom they accused of being a major obstacle in the implementation of N30,000 minimum wage.
A national officer of the NLC, Comrade Kiri Muhammad, made the call in Kano at the protest over the issue, saying “ the action of the labour minister clearly shows his disregard for the plights of the Nigeria workers”.
On his part, the Kano State chairman of the NLC, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir, commended the Ganduje administration for pledging to pay N30,000 minimum wage.
Low turnout in Kaduna
The nationwide protest witnessed a low turnout in Kaduna yesterday as many workers reported at their duty posts rather than join the protest.
It was gathered that the low turnout might be connected to the ban on public procession in the state.
It was also gathered that a register was opened for civil servants by the state government to prevent workers from embarking on the protest.
Bauchi workers present demands to Gov. Abubakar
The Bauchi State chapter of the NLC yesterday held a rally to press home their demand for the new minimum wage.
The protesting workers also presented a letter to Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar from the NLC National President Comrade Ayuba Wabba.
NLC chairman in the state, Comrade Hashimu Muhammad Gital, said the governor to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari transmitted the minimum wage bill to the National Assembly.
Minimum wage to determine our voting pattern in 2019-Ondo workers
Workers in Ondo state yesterday joined their colleagues across the 36 states of the federation to protest over the new national minimum wage.
NLC chairman in the state, Comrade Yemisi Bamgbose, said the implementation of the new minimum wage would determine the workers ‘voting pattern in the forthcoming general elections.
“The unions urged speedy implementation of the new national minimum wage of N30,000 when enacted into law,” she said.
Niger ready to pay new minimum wage- Gov Bello
Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello reassured workers of his readiness to pay the new minimum wage, just as he pledged that welfare of the state workforce remain his major priority.
Governor Sani-Bello gave the assurance in Minna, the state capital, when he received the state chapter of organised labour who joined their counterparts across the country to protest the non-transmission of the bill for implementation of the new national minimum wage of N30,000 to the National Assembly for action.
He said: “I am 100 percent in support of the need to look at whatever is happening on how to improve the life and standard of living of our people. I have no problem with the implementation of the payement of N30,000 minimum wage to our workers and I believe this matter will soon be put to rest.
“The welfare of our workers is something we have to look into properly. Niger State has already started showing commitment by increasing salary by 25 percent recently and we have just released the sum of N3 billion for the payment of pension and death gratuity. It is on record that death gratituty has not been paid in this state since 2004, until 2016 that we first paid and one released last month”.
He maintained that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was also concerned about the welfare of civil servants in the country, hence the reason he made provision for the N30,000 minimum wage in the 2019 budget.
New minimum wage is a right – Ayade
Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has said that the proposed national minimum wage was apt and a right to every worker in the country.
He assured the workers who milled around his office in the morning in Calabar that his government would pay the N30,000 proposed national minimum wage.
He said Labour presented a demand of N66, 500 to government but a tripartite committee set up by government came up with N30,000 as minimum wage and government’s refusal to implement this necessitated the protest.
Edo workers urged to vote out those against N30,000 minimum wage
Workers in Edo State were yesterday urged to vote out those against the implementation of N30,000 new minimum wage.
Speaking during the protest over the issue in Benin yesterday, NLC National Deputy President Kenneth Nwaguru said: “We are not asking much. It is just a mere figure. If you look at N30,000 in 30 days it is not up to N1000 daily. We are only sying that they must do the needful. We are not begging them. It is our legitimate rights having gone through the process of negotiation.
“As workers we are stakeholders in the Nigeria economy, it is our commonwealth, and we will not allow all these politicians to rob us. After this rally today, if there is no positive response, we are going to embark on indefinite strike.
Earlier, national president of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said the Nigerian government at all levels conspired to rob workers the joy to celebrate the 2019 New Year with a new national wage of N30,000.
Wabba, whose address was delivered by the leader of the Edo State NLC women wing, Daisy Osunde, appealed to workers to bear with the inconvenience of the union’s action.
Pay us N30,000 wage for national unity – Oyo workers
The organised labour in Oyo State yesterday demanded adoption of N30,000 as new national minimum wage for national unity.
The state chairman of the NLC Mr Waheed Olojede and his TUC counterpart, Mr Emmanel Ogundiran, who led the workers on a protest, noted that the federal government, labour and organized private sector had reached a compromise figure of N30,000.
Olojede tasked both the federal and state governments to revitalize and implement the report of tripartite committee.
Particularly, he urged the state government to affirm its pacesetter status by being among the first states in the country to implement the N30,000 minimum wage.
Some the placards displayed by the workers during the procession from NLC Secretariat to State Secretariat bore inscriptions such as, “Workers are not Slaves”, “On N30,000 New Minimum wage we stand”,
“Decent Minimum Wage is a right not a privilege”, “Workers deserve the best, do it now”.
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