By Ayo Fadimu, Florence Abatta (Osogbo), AKinlabi Afolabi (Ibadan), Bankole Taiwo (Abeokuta), Eunice Odigie (Benin City)
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday, staged a protest at the National Assembly complex, rejecting a bill seeking to move the national minimum wage from the exclusive list to the concurrent list.
The NLC President,Ayuba Wabba in company of leaders of other affiliate unions,while presenting a petition on the bill said the bill was anti-labour laws and against the interest of Nigerian workers.
The bill in contention had passed first reading in the House of Representatives.
Wabba said the national minimum wage was not a Nigerian standard but an international standard, noting that 26 countries of the world have minimum wage as part of their exclusive list including the U.S.
He said the current national minimum wage was negotiated with all stakeholders including the state governments before it became Law.
He said the NLC would resist any move to deny Nigerians in the state and local governments payment of minimum wage.
According to Wabba, the bill that seeks to remove the National Minimum Wage from the Exclusive list to the Concurrent list is not acceptable.
He said that the issue of National Minimum is a standard signed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Wabba said that ILO was the first agency of the United Nations formed in 1919 after the First World War, adding, it has the powers of the United Nations.
“Currently, the Minimum Wage in the United State is ten dollars per hour and President Biden has already announced plans to initiate an upward review of the minimum wage to $15 per hour.
“How can we degenerate to remove the issue that workers have earned through hard labour for forty years overnight?
“The problem of Nigeria, we have said in essence, is the issue of good governance. That is why we are here.
“They are all well documented in the documents that we will present to the leadership of the National Assembly,” he said.
Wabba said that workers had given the leadership of organised labour the mandate to declare nationwide strike if the right thing was not done.
“We know that the State Governors collect the same salary across the country. States and National Assembly collect the same salaries across the country, so also the Counsellors.
“So, why is the case of workers different, if it is the issue of ability to pay?
“Governors also collect humongous amounts as security votes that have not been used to address security challenges in Nigeria.
“If we address this, we will have enough to pay the minimum wage. It’s a national benchmark.
“If the private sectors can pay, the government has more responsibility to the citizens than the highest private sector,” he said.
On his part, TUC President, Mr Quadri Olaleye, has called on the National Assembly to live by example.
According to Olaleye, leadership by example is the best.
“If the National Assembly must take that decision, all the executives should go back to their Local Governments to collect their salary according to their local governments revenue generation,” he said.
Olaleye, however, presented a protest letter to the House of Representatives through the Majority Leader, Hon. Hassan Doguwu.
While receiving the protest letter on behalf of the Speaker House of Representative, Femi Gbajabiamila, Doguwu commended the organised labour leadership for expressing their grieviances in the right quarter.
“I want to say that we have accepted the letter presented to us by the organised labour and l want to assure you that we will give it the right treatment.
“We will also provide the window for the people to come and present their grievance through public hearing.
“That presentation of that bill is only a proposal and with what l am seeing now, it appears to me that the leadership of organised labour is against that bill.
“If you are against that bill, you are right and you have every reason to be against that bill.
“I want to assure that the House of Representative will see and give listening ear to your grievances.
“We will still invite you to come and engage with relevant committees to make your position,” he said.
Similarly while responding to the Protesters, Deputy Chief Whip of Senate, Sen. Sabi Abdulahi (APC-Niger) said the Senate would stand with Nigerian workers as it had always done.
He said it was not possible for anyone to pass a bill that would affect the interest of Nigerian workers, given the practice of democracy in Nigeria.
Abdulahi said the senate was representing the interest of Nigerian workers and hence takes the payment of salaries of workers seriously.
He said the NLC had made their point by staging the protest, noting that the senate would stand by the workers to protect their rights and privileges.
He said the senate would ensure that justice was done to the petition presented by NLC on the issue.
NLC members, who besieged the National Assembly complex had some inscriptions like “Pay us our minimum wage,’ ‘autonomy to local government,’ ‘minimum wage payment would boost the economy.’ Others include ‘removing National Minimum wage from the Exclusive to the Concurrent list is a declaration of war on Nigeria workers,’ ‘National Minimum wage is our right, don’t decentralise workers wages’ and ‘President Buhari, no room for fifth columnists, stand with Nigeria workers, keep minimum wage on exclusive list,’ among others.
In Osogbo, members of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC), Osun State Chapter, on Wednesday, stormed the State Assembly to challenge the proposed removal of minimum wage from the exclusive list.
The members, who converged at Ogo-Oluwa Area of Osogbo, the State Capital at about 10am in the morning marched towards the House of Assembly.
They were seen bearing banners with inscriptions protesting against the removal of the minimum wage bill from the exclusive list to the concurrent list.
In his remark, the Speaker, Hon Timothy Owoeye said the Oyetola-led administration prioritises workers’ welfare in the State, noting that the development of the State is impossible without workers.
In his words, “Anything that concerns the workers is Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s priority. Despite the paucity of fund, he has been able to implement the minimum wage. There are some things we have denied ourselves just for the sake of the minimum wage. We have assured you that without you, the development of the state will not be possible.
“Let me assure you on behalf of my colleagues, that we are totally for you. With your cooperation, you will continue to enjoy whatever you are meant to enjoy.”
A similar protest was also held in Ibadan. The protesting workers who began the protest at the NLC Secretariat took their protest to Agodi and ended at the State House of Assembly.
TUC chairman, Mr Emmanuel Ogundiran, warned the Oyo State Assembly not to be part of what would destroy the Nigerian economy and further throw Nigerians into the unemployment market.
Ogundiran said that some individuals were toying with the welfare of the average Nigerian worker.
He said, “Removing the minimum wage from the exclusive list to concurrent list means it is no more the Federal Government that has the final say on the issue but both the state and the FG can adjudicate on it.
“It means the governors can decide on the amount to be paid as minimum wage and this will further enslave the workers,” Ogundiran said.
He called on the Oyo State House of Assembly not to be part of the bill and not to consider the passage of the bill, describing it as anti-workers bill.
NLC Chairman, Mr Kayode Martins, said that the union would do what is necessary to ensure that the bill does not see the light of the day.
He added that the governors earn nothing less than N500 million as security vote and are telling Nigerian workers that N30,000 minimum wage was too much.
Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Muhammed Fadeyi while receiving the groups, commended the union for the peaceful protest.
Fadeyi said the bill before its passage, the bill must go through the 36 States Houses of Assembly and assured the unions that the State Asssembly would take the views of the people before taking decision on the bill.
He added that the bill would not see the light of the day irrespective of pressures from many quarters.
In Abeokuta, Ogun State House of Assembly has assured workers in the State that their request for the support of a national minimum will always be granted anytime the bill comes up for debate, saying the State has always been national minimum wage compliant.
The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo, gave the assurance while receiving members of the organized labour in the State led by the Chairman of the State chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress, (NLC) Comrade Emmanuel Bankole, who joined other States and national executives of labour to protest against the move to transfer the national minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list.
Oluomo, who assured that all the demands of the workers would be presented to the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, noted that all issues affecting workers’ welfare were being addressed by the State Government.
He assured the workers of the Assembly’s support on issues that would better the welfare of the State workforce.
Early, Comrade Bankole and his Trade Union counterpart, Comrade Bunmi Fajobi had appealed to the Speaker to intervene to guide members of the Assembly to vote against the removal of the national minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list.
They noted that the decision became imperative to reduce poverty and inequality among the nation’s workforce, stressing that the protest would be the first stage of the struggle for survival and livelihood of millions of Nigerian workers.
In Benin City, the organised labour in Edo State, joined their counterparts in other states in protest against the proposal by the National Assembly to transfer the national minimum wage from the Exclusive Legislative list to the Concurrent Legislative list.
The protesters brandished placards of various inscriptions that read thus ‘Datti Muhammad, don’t destabilise Nigeria and El-Rufai, agent of anarchy.’
Addressing the protesters at the Edo State House of Assembly premises, state chairman of the NLC, Sunny Osayande, said they decided to join their colleagues nationwide to protest against the bill seeking to transfer the National Minimum Wage from the Exclusive Legislative list to the Concurrent legislative list.
Osayande said the implications of the bill include, “license for state governors to drag the country back to the era of ridiculous slave wages which in the past had precipitated multifarious industrial crises in different parts of the country.
“The exponential creation and expansion of a community of the working poor with all the attendant consequences for socioeconomic cohesion, stability and progress, and it could lead to the exclusion of the private sector (both organised and unorganised) from the concept, rationale and logic of a national minimum wage, yet, it is in this informal sector that horrendously unfair labour practices take place.
“We write to inform the honourable speaker that a private member bill moved by honourable Garba Datti Mohammed representing Sabon Gari federal constituency of Kaduna state and sponsored by a few governors was on Tuesday, February 23, 2021, rushed through first and second readings.
“The bill seeks the transfer of the National Minimum Wage from the Exclusive Legislative list to the Concurrent legislative list. Currently, the bill has been referred to the Ad-hoc committee on constitution review.
“When presented to your state House of Assembly, we appeal to your to intervene to guide the members of the House and refuse assent.”
While receiving the protesters at the state House of Assembly, the clerk of the House, Audu Omogbai said he would convey their message to the speaker.
“I am sure he will key into this your aspiration. He has traveled to Port Harcourt for official assignment and he asked me to receive this letter,” he said.
The organized labour in solidarity with their counterparts, protesting at the city centre of Benin over the proposed removal of the minimum wage from the Executive List to the Concurrent list.