New Minimum Wage: Ondo workers protest no transmission of bill to National Assembly

Civil servants in Ondo state on Tuesday joined their colleagues in other states of the country as well as the Federal Capital Territory to protest the continued delay in the proposed N30,000 new National Minimum Wage. The protest came up after a last minute attempt by the federal government to forestall the demonstration which allegedly failed on Monday night. As early as 7am, the organised labour in the state converged on Adegbemile Cultural Centre where they mobilised workers for a peaceful demonstration in Akure, the state capital. The peaceful demonstration took the workers through the major routes of Akure before terminating it at the Governor’s office, Alagbaka, Akure. At the Governor’s office, where they submitted a letter, they demanded that President, Muhammadu Buhari submit a bill to the parliament for the implementation of the N30, 000 minimum wage for workers. President, Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, who addressed the workers in Akure, said the protest became imperative in order to ensure that the process for the transmission of the new minimum wage to the National Assembly is hastened. The NLC President, who was represented by Comrade Yemisi Bamgbose further maintained that the protest was about implementation and it has no link with any political parties. Meanwhile, the letter written by the labour unions to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu reads, “Your Excellency will recall the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage, comprising the government, organised private sector and organised labour has concluded its work and submitted the report with a draft bill to President Muhammadu Buhari on 6th November, 2018. “It is also noteworthy that six governors were members of the committee that worked out the new National minimum wage. Therefore, it stands to reason that the report and draft bill were the collective efforts of the broadest spectrum of all concerned parties and should thus commend the support of every governor. “Therefore, the organised labour would wish to obtain from your Excellency a commitment to the speedy implementation of the new national minimum wage of N30,000 when enacted into law. “While counting on your Excellency to make the best endeavour to express agreement with thus patriotic, convey our polite gesture to your colleagues the enlightened public, generally and advance the cause of the new national minimum wage, we advise that: the political behaviour of Nigeria workers is contingent upon the commitment to the expeditious enactment of the new national minimum wage by the legislature before the polls. “Nigerian workers as voters will indeed take their eventual fate to the polling stations and indicate in the ballot their views on the faithful implementation of new minimum wage by the executive before the polls. “Nigerian workers and family will not and cause friends and allies not to vote for any candidate in the forthcoming elections who hesitate or refuse to commit to the national minimum wage. “For the avoidance of any iota of doubt, the fate of the new national minimum wage will largely determine the electoral preference of Nigerian workers in 2019”. Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Ifedayo Abegunde who addressed the labour unions on behalf of the governor however said the welfare of the workers in the state was paramount to the government. Adewale Momoh, Akure