The Nigeria Labour Congress,NLC, says statements credited to some state Governors regarding their desire to pay what they deem fit to Nigerian workers as the minimum wage, are not only dictatorial, but also undermine the model adopted for creating a national minimum wage in Nigeria.
In a statement, the NLC wants President Tinubu, who, it says had promised a living wage which is superior to a minimum wage, not to allow himself be blackmailed or boxed into a corner by unpatriotic governors.
The NLC in the statement noted that the federal government must stop dithering on the issue of the national minimum wage because of the gang up by some selfish governors.
The NLC urged the state governors to abandon any inclination towards dictatorial practices as the process remains a tripartite one.
Labour says the pursuit by many governors to pay workers whatever they like deepens poverty and causes varying dimensions of insecurity, arguing that the governors are carried away by their present structure of security detail, but the sword of Damocles awaits them on exit from office.
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Labour said It is unfortunate that workers’ salaries are often seen as charity rather than the hard-earned income of hardworking Nigerians and that it is equally painful that some of these governors fail to realise that workers’ salaries substantially drive the economy.
Labour noted that it is not surprising that the governors prioritise their greed over the need of ordinary citizens.
NLC used the statement to call for policies and actions driven by equity and fairness, ensuring a fair minimum wage is not only a matter of economic justice but also a fundamental aspect of maintaining social stability and national cohesion, insisting that Nigerian workers should not be reduced to beggars.
(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
