Minimum wage: We can’t guarantee peace without new wage by May 1 – NLC

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned the Federal Government of impending industrial crisis in the New Year if it failed to come up with a new national minimum wage between now and April, stating that it “cannot guarantee industrial peace if necessary steps are not taking by government to try to resolve this issue before the next May Day.”
Speaking on the decision of labour to apply maximum force recognised worldwide in labour movement, President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said the issue of minimum wage is very sacrosanct because it is a law and long overdue.
He specifically warned that if the government failed to resolve the long, pending issue, the congress cannot guarantee any industrial peace any longer.
The NLC president pointed out emphatically that the issue must be resolved before May 1, 2017, otherwise, the industrial peace being enjoying now across the country, would be disrupted.
Wabba said: “Let me make the point very clear that the issue of minimum wage remains very sacrosanct because of the fact that by law and practice, the review is long overdue. I have said clearly that we cannot guarantee any industrial peace any longer if necessary steps are not taking by government to try to resolve this issue before the next May Day.”
He stated that the organised labour had formally sent notice of their demands as required by law to the government, but added that the government had deliberately refused and failed to act on it.
Wabba lamented that even the expected tripartite committee to discuss and negotiate the issue had not been set up by the government, showing that the government is not responsive to its responsibilities, despite the fact that the review is long overdue.
The NLC president said: “This is very clear because we have sent formal notice of demand as required by law to government to try to constitute the committee. The committee has not been constituted up till now, what we have in place is the committee working on the palliatives.
“I am aware that part of what they have considered is the structure of the minimum wage committee, but the committee to discuss and negotiate minimum wage has not been set up till date.
He said the committee to look at the issue of palliatives has almost completed its function and about to roundup, adding that they would come up with whatever recommendations they have, which would be passed to the yet to be inaugurated committee on minimum wage.
He pointed out that the joint committee of government and labour; with the two labour centres, would meet to look at the recommendations.
Wabba added: “Essentially, the committee to dialogue and negotiate the minimum wage, which is supposed to be tripartite has not been set up. If it is set up, all of you will be aware of the membership and also their terms of reference as well as the timeline given to them to dispose with this very important issue.
“The issue is so sensitive because of the fact that a lot of our members have been subjected to a lot of difficulties, because the purchasing power of ordinary Nigerian workers has been reduced to virtually nothing due to inflation in the system, the free fall of Naira, and to compound it, with high cost of goods and services.”
He regretted that with the present minimum, which has been eroded by inflation and exchange rate, many of the workers cannot be able to perform their responsibilities.
According to him, “most workers now cannot meet up their daily needs, they can’t pay their rent, and they can’t send their children to schools. So, side by side with the issue of fighting corruption is also for the workers to be paid a decent wage that they can be able to have a meaningful living.
“This is the challenge, I want to emphatically inform you that the committee has not been set up. The issue of minimum wage is done through a tripartite system, employers, government and the organised Labour. Once you don’t have the platform and the process in place, I don’t think that you should be expecting result.”