Organised Labour drew the battle line between
workers and all strata of governments, on Thursday, as it issued a
two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government and the 36 states of the
federation to implement the N18,000 Minimum Wage Act in the country or
face a nationwide industrial action
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, and his counterpart in the Trade Union Congress, Mr. Peter Esele, sounded this warning in Abuja, during a joint press conference.
The briefing was to state Labour’s reaction to the delay in the implementation of the new wage regime and the proposal for the removal of fuel subsidy by the Nigerian Governors Forum. The Forum had said that only the removal of the government-funded subsidy on petroleum products could make the funds required for the payment of the minimum wage available to the states.
The joint statement says, “Ultimatum on implementation of National Minimum Wage,” issued at the conference by the two foremost labour organizations stressed that the implementation of the minimum wage was not negotiable.
““Having reviewed the state of respect of the Minimum Wage Law, we have come to the sad realization that no level of Government has implemented the law, be it Federal, State or Local governments, in spite of the law having come into effect since March 2011.
“Given the above manifest reluctance or failure of Federal and state Government to implement the Minimum wage, which has consequently caused implementation inertia on the private sector, Organized Labour under the auspices of Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress hereby issue a two week ultimatum for full implementation of the minimum wage across the country.”
Omar and Esele said the decision of some state governors to tie the implementation of the N18, 000 new minimum wage to the removal of fuel subsidy is “unpatriotic and sadistic” and should be resisted.
Ondo State had, after series of negotiation with its workers, agreed for the time being to pay N14,000 instead of N18,000. But the NLC had accused the labour leaders in Ondo as saboteurs and described the said agreement as invalid.
“On the part of the States Governments while some are showing indication of wanting to pay, others that want to violate the constitution and the Law are inclined to blackmailing their colleagues.
“The Governors Forum in a show of reckless insensitivity to the plight of the Nigeria people have introduced strange elements into the scene, geared at subverting the process.
“Firstly the issue of new Revenue Allocation Formula, which requires Constitutional Amendment to achieve, has been to be condition precedent to implementation of the minimum wage.
“We find this as laughable and completely unacceptable as the Law is clear and unambiguous. All stakeholders were party to the formulation of the Law and we know of a fact that they can pay the N18, 000 minimum wage.
“Secondly, the sadistic introduction of the oil subsidy argument, is essentially asking Government to increase the prices of Petroleum Products and further impoverish the mass of our people. Again we reject this, and state unequivocally that there can be no conditionalities for payment of the new Minimum wage.”
While saying that they were aware of surreptitious moves by some state governors to intimidate and coerce workers into receiving less that the N18,000 minimum wage, the unions threatened to counter the moves with a strike that would cripple social and economic activities in such states.
“We hereby serve notice that any state Government that indulges in this or induces an illicit agreement to pay less than N18,000, will have to contend with a most robust form of resistance ever in the annals of workers solidarity in our country,” they said. They called on unions in the public and private sectors to commence immediate sensitization of their members in preparedness for the impending strike.
Esele, in his remarks, foreclosed the possibility of dialogue with the government stressing that the strike would go on immediately after the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum.
He challenged the Nigerian Governors Forum to show to Nigerians that they had some regard for the constitution of the country by implementing the Minimum Wage Act.
He said that labour would not bother itself to attend any meeting with the government that would not bring about the demanded enforcement of the Minimum Wage act.
Esele said, “If we are called 24 hours before the expiration of the two weeks deadline we are going to go ahead with our strike. What we expect is implementation; we have gone beyond any form of negotiation on this issue again.
“Let me ask a rhetorical question, if they are going to call us for a meeting, in that meeting are they going to go ahead and pay us N18, 000 right away? No!
“One thing is clear, because what we are talking about is an issue of law. So, there is no negotiation any more. It is like taking somebody to a court and deliver judgment, judgment is delivered based on the law, and the N18, 000 we are talking about is strictly based on the law.
“So, whether the governors are saying they are having one forum or whatever forum they are having, what we are saying is that governors should go ahead and showed that they respect the law.
“In the case of the Federal Government, the Salaries and Wages Commission has been unable or unwilling to produce a table for implementation to Federal Public Servants, and so the Federal Government has not implemented the law.
Also, lampooned the Salaries and Wages Commission for failing to produce a table for the implementation of the new wage structure for federal workers. They threatened to mobilise workers and other Nigerians to resist moves by government to increase the prices of petroleum products in the country under the guise of deregulating the downstream sector of the oil industry.
By Fidelis Soriwei, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, and his counterpart in the Trade Union Congress, Mr. Peter Esele, sounded this warning in Abuja, during a joint press conference.
The briefing was to state Labour’s reaction to the delay in the implementation of the new wage regime and the proposal for the removal of fuel subsidy by the Nigerian Governors Forum. The Forum had said that only the removal of the government-funded subsidy on petroleum products could make the funds required for the payment of the minimum wage available to the states.
The joint statement says, “Ultimatum on implementation of National Minimum Wage,” issued at the conference by the two foremost labour organizations stressed that the implementation of the minimum wage was not negotiable.
““Having reviewed the state of respect of the Minimum Wage Law, we have come to the sad realization that no level of Government has implemented the law, be it Federal, State or Local governments, in spite of the law having come into effect since March 2011.
“Given the above manifest reluctance or failure of Federal and state Government to implement the Minimum wage, which has consequently caused implementation inertia on the private sector, Organized Labour under the auspices of Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress hereby issue a two week ultimatum for full implementation of the minimum wage across the country.”
Omar and Esele said the decision of some state governors to tie the implementation of the N18, 000 new minimum wage to the removal of fuel subsidy is “unpatriotic and sadistic” and should be resisted.
Ondo State had, after series of negotiation with its workers, agreed for the time being to pay N14,000 instead of N18,000. But the NLC had accused the labour leaders in Ondo as saboteurs and described the said agreement as invalid.
“On the part of the States Governments while some are showing indication of wanting to pay, others that want to violate the constitution and the Law are inclined to blackmailing their colleagues.
“The Governors Forum in a show of reckless insensitivity to the plight of the Nigeria people have introduced strange elements into the scene, geared at subverting the process.
“Firstly the issue of new Revenue Allocation Formula, which requires Constitutional Amendment to achieve, has been to be condition precedent to implementation of the minimum wage.
“We find this as laughable and completely unacceptable as the Law is clear and unambiguous. All stakeholders were party to the formulation of the Law and we know of a fact that they can pay the N18, 000 minimum wage.
“Secondly, the sadistic introduction of the oil subsidy argument, is essentially asking Government to increase the prices of Petroleum Products and further impoverish the mass of our people. Again we reject this, and state unequivocally that there can be no conditionalities for payment of the new Minimum wage.”
While saying that they were aware of surreptitious moves by some state governors to intimidate and coerce workers into receiving less that the N18,000 minimum wage, the unions threatened to counter the moves with a strike that would cripple social and economic activities in such states.
“We hereby serve notice that any state Government that indulges in this or induces an illicit agreement to pay less than N18,000, will have to contend with a most robust form of resistance ever in the annals of workers solidarity in our country,” they said. They called on unions in the public and private sectors to commence immediate sensitization of their members in preparedness for the impending strike.
Esele, in his remarks, foreclosed the possibility of dialogue with the government stressing that the strike would go on immediately after the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum.
He challenged the Nigerian Governors Forum to show to Nigerians that they had some regard for the constitution of the country by implementing the Minimum Wage Act.
He said that labour would not bother itself to attend any meeting with the government that would not bring about the demanded enforcement of the Minimum Wage act.
Esele said, “If we are called 24 hours before the expiration of the two weeks deadline we are going to go ahead with our strike. What we expect is implementation; we have gone beyond any form of negotiation on this issue again.
“Let me ask a rhetorical question, if they are going to call us for a meeting, in that meeting are they going to go ahead and pay us N18, 000 right away? No!
“One thing is clear, because what we are talking about is an issue of law. So, there is no negotiation any more. It is like taking somebody to a court and deliver judgment, judgment is delivered based on the law, and the N18, 000 we are talking about is strictly based on the law.
“So, whether the governors are saying they are having one forum or whatever forum they are having, what we are saying is that governors should go ahead and showed that they respect the law.
“In the case of the Federal Government, the Salaries and Wages Commission has been unable or unwilling to produce a table for implementation to Federal Public Servants, and so the Federal Government has not implemented the law.
Also, lampooned the Salaries and Wages Commission for failing to produce a table for the implementation of the new wage structure for federal workers. They threatened to mobilise workers and other Nigerians to resist moves by government to increase the prices of petroleum products in the country under the guise of deregulating the downstream sector of the oil industry.
By Fidelis Soriwei, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
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