Following the inability of the Federal Government to
urgently transmit the bill on the new national minimum wage to the National
Assembly, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has set January 8th as the date for
the commencement of an indefinite nationwide strike.
NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba said the strike would be
inevitable if nothing happened before the set date. He appealed to workers
across the nation to support the action to succeed in the interest of their
social and economic prosperity.
Wabba called on Federal Government to urgently transmit the
bill on the new national minimum wage to the National Assembly for a speedy
passage.
He said: “It is unfortunate that the Federal Government is
yet to transmit to the National Assembly an executive bill for the enactment of
N30,000 as the new national minimum wage.
Government’s dilly-dallying on the issue has strained Government-Labour
relations with a potential for a major national strike which could just be days
away.
I want to appeal to the government to do the needful by
urgently transmitting the bill on the new national minimum wage to the National
Assembly. We also would like to use this same opportunity to urge workers to
fully mobilise for a prolonged national strike and enforce their right.”
He added that the NLC leadership is similarly committed to
social protection for workers.
“The new year presents great opportunities for workers,
pensioners, civil society allies and their friends and families to put their
numbers to good use. This is by voting out, not on the basis of tribe or
religion but purely policy, any candidate that cannot serve their interest.
In the year that is ahead of us, the NLC remains
unequivocally committed to the national and workers’ goals which include the
campaign for industrialisation, against selective enforcement of “No Work, No
Pay” policy of government, among others,” he said.
