By Deborah Hassan
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday stormed the National Assembly complex in Abuja over a Bill introduced in the House of Representatives which seeks to remove the National Minimum Wage from the Exclusive List and take it to the Concurrent Legislative List.
The union and its affiliates demanded the withdrawal of a bill that would make it legal for States and the Federal Government to negotiate minimum wage separately.
Introduced 2 weeks ago by Hon. Garba Mohammed (APC Kano), it is said to be in the spirit of true ”federalism”. It has, however, not been adopted by the House.
In reaction, Nigerian workers, under its labour umbrella, NLC, have opposed the bill, which they argue would undermine the working class in the country. They besieged the National Assembly complex holding placard with inscriptions saying, “Pay us our minimum wage”, ”Autonomy to local government”, ”Minimum wage payment would boost the economy”, among others.
President of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, in company of leaders of other affiliate unions, while presenting a petition against the bill, said the proposal ran contrary to labour laws and against the interest of Nigeria workers.
Wabba noted the national minimum wage was in line with international practices, with 26 countries of the world, including the United States, having minimum wage as part of their exclusive list. He added that the current national minimum wage was negotiated with all stakeholders, including the state governments, before it was passed into law.
The workers’ union vowed to resist any move to deny Nigerians in the state and local governments payment of minimum wage.
Addressing the workers, Deputy Chief Whip of Senate, Sen. Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger), who received the petition of the NLC on behalf of the National Assembly, assured them that the Senate would stand with Nigerian workers as has been the practice.
He said it was not possible for anyone to pass a bill that would affect the interest of Nigerian workers under Nigeria’s democracy.
Abdulahi also commended the NLC for making registering its displeasure through the protest, and reaffirmed that the Senate would stand by the workers to protect their rights and privileges.