New minimum wage: NLC, TUC holds rally in Anambra, threatens strike November 6

THE Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, and her Trade Union Congress TUC, counterpart yesterday, held a rally to press home their demand for full implementation of an N30,000 Minimum Wage reached by the Tripartite Minimum Wage Committee set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Clad in black and Black, the workers marched through the streets of Awka and terminated at Arroma Junction, carried banner that read “National Day of Mobilization, Sensitization and Mourning on the plights of Nigerian workers and issues surrounding the New Minimum Wage.”

Addressing the participants at Arroma Junction Awka, the Anambra state capital, the state chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Jerry Nnubia said the event was packaged against the negative policies of government against the nation’s workforce.

He said workers wondered why the federal government should play politics with a new minimum wage of N30,000 which labour accepted in the interest of peace even though it had demanded an upward of that amount N56,000.

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Despite the non-conformity statement of Labour Minister Dr Chris Ngige against the decision of the Tripartite Committee on #30,000 new minimum wage which he was part of, NLC believed that the issue of new minimum wage has been concluded and that workers wait until 6th November 2018 for commencement of full implementation or they would embark on indefinite strike and shutdown the nation’s economy.

The TUC chairman in the state, Comrade Ifeanyi Okechukwu, who applauded the sportsmanship of Governor Willie Obiano towards workers in the state, urged President Mohammadu Buhari to implement the new wages before the 2019 elections to avoid distraction during the electoral process.

Also speaking, the National President of NLC Comrade Ayuba Waba represented by Southeast National Vice President, Comrade Chris Ani said they accepted N30,000 as new national minimum wage because it was what the private sector can pay, stressing that workers can use their voting power next year to remove any state or federal government that fails to implement this to the later.