ABUJA — THE Federal Government
said, yesterday, that the governors have no legitimate right to reduce
the national minimum wage from the present N18, 000 because it was a
product of agreement.
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| Govs has NO Right to Reduce Minimum Wage |
This came on the heels of the rejection by the Nigeria Labour
Congress, NLC, of the recent proposal to remove fuel subsidy in 2016,
the increment in the electricity tariff and the proposed re-introduction
of toll gates on the federal roads.
Warning against any plan to reduce the minimum wage at the meeting
with the leadership of NLC, Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator
Chris Ngige, said the governors were only playing politics with the
issue of minimum wage.
Ngige said instead of contemplating to reduce the minimum wage, the
government would want workers to be paid higher when the economy
improves.
The minister, however, blamed the organised labour for allegedly
heating up the system by joining issues with the governors in talking
about reduction or increment in minimum wage.
According to him, “when the NLC joined the governors in talking about
minimum wage, with the governors saying we can’t pay N18,000 minimum
wage and NLC says it is time for us to ask for increase, we now know
that these are talks that are heating up the system.
“The NLC knows better that the governors are playing politics. This
is one matter that you cannot play politics with because it is a matter
of rule of law. The law in place now is the Minimum Wage Act enacted by
the National Assembly and the National Assembly derived their power from
the Exclusive List of the constitution which gives them power to make
laws on labour related matters including minimum wage.
“So, anybody who wants to talk about minimum wage should go to the
National Assembly or ask the President to send an executive bill which
can be discussed and it will be a tripatite discussion, involving public
hearing.
“Please let a sleeping dog lie, because this country is going through
a very difficult time now and requires your prayers and support. Nobody
can reduce wages now. If anything, if you have more money, you pay
higher.
On corruption, unemployment
“The third thing which is also one of the pillars of government is
the fight against corruption. Corruption has eaten so deep into the
fabric of the Nigerian system that if you are not corrupt, you look
abnormal.
“The labour laws need some tinkering because some of them are very
old. Even the penalty that are prescribed in them are very old. You see
some laws which says that if people abuse expatriate quota, they pay a
fine of N2000. It doesn’t make sense.
“As a ministry, we will look at all these laws and with the Attorney
General of the Federation, we will make sure that we fast track some of
these laws so that the necessary penalties that are commensurate with
labour offences committed are meted out to the offending parties. We
will be needing your input.
“We want to reinvigorate our laws and give the Nigerian workers a decent work environment as prescribed by the ILO conventions.”
He emphasised the commitment of government to employment generation,
adding that the government was aware that unemployment is the easiest
gateway to instability and insecurity.
He said that the government, in a bid to show the seriousness of
empowering the youths, has budgeted N500 billion to address the issue of
unemployment, and poverty alleviation.
NLC kicks against removal of fuel subsidy
Speaking at the occasion, the Ayuba Wabba-led faction of NLC, said
the national interest had always been the driving force of the congress.
Comrade Wabba stressed the need for the government to respect
collective bargaining process and commended the intervention of the
minister on the issue of outsourcing of jobs and casualisation.
He stated that Nigerian workers should not be treated like slaves in their country.
At the emergency Central Working Committee meeting at the Labour
House, the organised labour said the recent proposed removal oil subsidy
was an attempt to punish the masses and that the labour would resist
it.
He expressed the fears that the pump price of petroleum product could
be increased by 2016 instead of being reduced because of the fall in
the international market, adding that he would mobilise the workers to
resist any increase.
Wabba also advised the government to put the refineries in place instead of refining the product outside the country.
On electricity tariff
He said labour opposes the recent plan to increase electricity
tariff, adding that the issue of other charges outside the consumption
charges was abnormal.
He said the removal of fixed charges on electricity tariff was long
over due as according to him, the masses were paying for services that
were not provided.
“We want pre-paid metre and not this estimation bill. People should
pay for what they consumed,” he said, adding that the process of
privatisation had not delivered any result, “all of us had been
deceived.”
NLC also backed the planned strike by the Senior Staff Association of
Nigerian Universities, SSANU, over the removal of staff of universities
staff schools from the government pay roll.
He said, SSANU as an affiliate of NLC, has the right to make demands and that the position of SSANU was the position of NLC.
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