Minimum wage: NLC to Governors: You can’t intimidate workers with sack

…Urges workers to vote out anti-labour Governors
…Says N30,000 was a product of intense, robust negotiations at the Tripartite Committee
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Thursday, warned that the threat by state governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) would not deter it from crippling government activities if Governors fail to implement the agreed N30,000 Minimum Wage.

Recall that State governors rising from their late night meeting in Abuja on Wednesday threatened to sack workers if they are compelled to pay the N30,000 Minimum Wage.

In a statement issued by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, on Thursday, the Congress said the threat by the Governors cannot deter its already planned action against the State governors who are bent on deviating from paying the agreed N30,000.00 Minimum Wage..

According to Comrade Wabba, the Labour family is battle ready to face the threat, adding that the governors cannot intimidate workers by their threat.

His words: “The attention of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Organised Labour, the Working Class, Pensioners and their families have been drawn to a statement credited to the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, the Governor of Zamfara State, threatening to sack workers on the account of the New National Minimum Wage of N30,000”.

The NLC president noted that it would interest Nigerians to know that the New National Minimum Wage of N30,000 was a product of intense and robust negotiations at the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Negotiation Committee that lasted for one year between November 2017 to November 2018.

He further stated that at the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Negotiation Committee, State governments were represented by six states, one state from each of the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.

He also said that letter was sent by the Tripartite Committee to every state to send in their memorandum as their input to the national minimum wage negotiations. It is on record that 21 States responded by sending memoranda with figures.

“Subsequently, public hearings were conducted in each of the geo-political zones in the country. The State governments were all represented at the zonal hearings and made their input to discussions towards a new national minimum wage.

The demand of organised labour was N66,500. From the memoranda submitted to the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Negotiation Committee by State governments, there were proposals by some states to even pay higher than the negotiated national minimum wage of N30,000.

“After extended and extensive negotiations by the Tripartite Committee, a final compromise figure of N30,000 was agreed by all the partners – Government, Organised Labour and Employers in the Private Sector.

This agreement took on board prevailing economic indices and factors especially as outlined in Convention 131 and Recommendation 95 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention on Criteria and Procedure for Collective Bargaining especially towards arriving at a National Minimum Wage for any country,” the NLC boss stated.

Wabba observed that it was on the basis of this agreement that the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Negotiation Committee concluded its work and submitted its Report to Mr. President on the 6th of November, 2018. He said this ended the process of negotiations for a new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Labour, Wabba said, was alarmed at the statement of Governor Abdulaziz Yari purportedly for the Nigeria Governors Forum, noting that one year after the inauguration of the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Negotiation Committee, Yari’s statement is certainly an after-thought and has no place in the collective bargaining process.

“We understand that Mr. Yari Abdulaziz’s position is at the instance of a few anti-worker governors. We are not in any doubt that many worker-friendly governors are ready to pay even higher than the negotiated N30,000 new national minimum wage.

“In view of the foregoing, the NLC reiterates that the process of negotiation by the tripartite social partners for a new National Minimum Wage has ended and a new National Minimum Wage of N30,000 has been agreed upon by government, labour and employers in the private sector.

“That the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) recognises individual states in the Collective Bargaining Process NOT Nigeria Governors Forum. The states, like the other social partners, have already defended their positions during negotiations at the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Negotiation Committee vis-à-vis counter proposals,” the Congress asserted.

The NLC further reiterated that the threat to sack workers is not new in the struggle for review of the national minimum wage in Nigeria, noting that the current one by the Governor of Zamfara State cannot be used to intimidate labour.

The Congress said the consequences of workers retrenchment are too grievous for any political office holder truly elected by the people to contemplate.

“We propose that since a few political office holders are bent on enslaving Nigerian workers with peanuts mislabeled as salaries, we urge such elected public officials to subject their humungous salaries and allowances, reputed to be among the highest in the world, pro rata with the minimum wage they want to force down the throats of Nigerian workers.

We, therefore, urge each State Governor to go to their respective states and inform workers and their families their individual position on the new national minimum wage of N30,000”.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Governor Abdulaziz Yari, has been warned by the organised labour to desist from using the platform of the Nigeria Governors Forum to seek political relevance, noting that his tactics of blackmail against workers is already time worn and the stench is already offensive.

It said that the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Organised Labour will continue to urge workers to remain steadfast and firm on its rights to decent wages and improved living conditions.

It further directed the workers vote out any politician or political party that refuses to pay the new national minimum wage of N30,000, stating that it will continue to consolidate on its efforts to strengthen already existing platforms

and structures to give teeth to the resolve to vote out anti-labour governors and politicians in the forthcoming 2019 general election.

It, however, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to be wary of some people, especially in the Nigeria Governors Forum because they are wont, for selfish and personal reasons, to present him as an anti-worker President and by extension orchestrate anti-Buhari sentiments in the populace.