The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Wage

  • Wage offers in gold sector tears mine workers apart

    South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Friday its members had accepted the latest pay offer from gold producers covering the next three years.

    “Our members have accepted the offer,” David Sipunzi, NUM’s general secretary, told Reuters. NUM is the biggest union in the sector, representing over 50 per cent of the industry’s workers.

    Two smaller unions which represent mostly skilled workers have also accepted the offer.

    But the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), which represents close to 30 per cent of workers in the sector, has not and an industry source said the union had received a certificate from the government mediator allowing it to call a strike.

    “AMCU has indicated it will go to its members on the issue of a strike to get their mandate,” the source said. AMCU could not be immediately reached for comment.

    AMCU’s decision not to accept the offer will complicate matters as Sibanye Gold, one of the four companies involved in the talks, has said it will only sign the deal if all the unions agree to it.

    Such a scenario could also stoke tensions in a sector that has seen waves of labour unrest and dozens of deaths in the past three years in violence rooted in a vicious turf war between AMCU and NUM.

    The offers vary from company to company but will see pay hikes on the basic wage for the lowest-paid, entry-level members of up to around 14 percent in the first year.

    Including allowances, the deal ensures that entry-level, underground employees will receive guaranteed pay of between 13,728 rand and 14,611 rand per month in the third year.

    This would equate to increases for the entire package by the third year of between 26.5 per cent and 32 per cent.

    The other companies involved are AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony Gold, and Evander Gold, a unit of Pan African Resources.

    They made it clear that they could not afford big hikes as they grapple with depressed prices and soaring costs in the world’s deepest mines.

    South Africa has produced a third of the gold ever mined but the industry is in a state of accelerating decline.

    According to the Chamber of Mines, costs between 2008 and last year rose on average by over 20 per cent per year. Production over the past decade has declined by almost eight per cent annually.

  • NLC restates commitment to negotiating minimum wage

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has reaffirmed its commitment to negotiating a new minimum wage with the Federal Government despite the  country’s economic crisis.

    Speaking with The Nation, a factional President of the Congress,  Comrade Joe Ajaero, said it would not accept the blackmail of economic crisis to continue labour abuses through denial of basic rights.

    According to him, when the N18,000 minimum wage was approved, it was agreed that it would be reviewed after five years, adding that it is over five years after the introduction of the N18,000 minimum wage, and workers are yet to have their salaries reviewed.

    “Government should not deny workers their basic rights and privileges as entrenched in the agreement with labour,” Comrade Ajaero said.

    He implored relevant government agencies and state governments not to delay or deny immediate negotiation of a new minimum wage.

    He tasked National Assembly to bring an end to its lingering leadership tussle and concentrate on working with President Muhammadu  Buhari in tackling national issues for a better Nigeria.

    He said one of the best services the Nigerian lawmakers could offer Nigeria was to close ranks and cooperate with the President in ensuring that the financial bailouts availed some salary-owing state governors are judiciously used for paying workers salaries while other national issues are addressed.

    “Our lawmakers, by now are supposed to see the national issues confronting the nation as more important than any other thing. Nigerians are waiting for the change promised during the electioneering campaign.

    “Now that the politicians have been voted in, they should get to work to strengthen our internal democracy and achieve for all, a better Nigeria through legislations that will bring about constant electricity generation and distribution; employment generation; improved primary, secondary and tertiary education; healthcare; security, legislating against corruption; entrenching industrialisation and reforms in the oil and gas industry; among several others,” Ajaero said.

    The lawmakers, he said, should join forces with President Buhari in recovering stolen commonwealth of over 150 billion dollars stacked away in foreign banks by past governors, ministers, and other government functionaries.

    “We need not search further for any other reason for the perennial decay in the country and the sorry state of critical infrastructure. Our anti-corruption agencies must be repositioned and our justice system must be critically reviewed while international support is also sought to bring an end to corruption in Nigeria.

    “All the outrageous remuneration structure for the Senators and members of the House of Representatives and the profligacy of state governors must stop if we want to be reckoned with as a serious entity among the comity of nations,” Ajaero added.

    He also challenged the lawmakers to address the issue of income inequality and poverty among Nigerian workers so as to put in proper perspectives the intricate connection between income, consumption and production.

  • NLC demands minimum wage review

    NLC demands minimum wage review

    • Suspension of privatisation

    The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comade Ayuba Wabba, has demanded a review of the N18,000 minimum wage by the Federal Government.

    Wabba said the union is in support of the government’s anti-corruption crusade, as it is a part of the initiative designed to reposition the nation’s economy.

    The NLC President who spoke  at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said the current minimum wage is unrealistic given the present economic reality.

    He said when the NLC agreed on the N18, 000 minimum wage with the Federal Government, the exchange rate was N140 to a dollar, but as at today, it is N220 to a dollar.

    Wabba said Nigerian workers should be treated fairly by reviewing their salary upward in line with the present economic reality, adding that the minimum wage is no longer enough to sustain workers.

    He condemned the spate of corruption in the country, where a privileged few corner the resources belonging to all Nigerians, pointing out that the NLC would support President Mohammed Buhari’s move to prosecute culprits.

    “The issue of corruption in Nigeria is mind boggling and unacceptable to us, as this has caused many of us to live in penury. Those responsible for corruption and stealing of our collective patrimony should be prosecuted and made to face the law, if found wanting. This is the only way to make Nigeria work.”

    He said a lot of resources that should accrue to the state are being stolen by individuals and some privileged few. The NLC president called on the Federal Government to encourage workers to expose corruption in their domain, saying if workers were encouraged as whistle blowers, it would help the country.

    He said the President should ensure that such workers are protected while acting as whistle blowers, stressing that no one should be victimised for such act.

    Wabba said the various probes by the anti-corruption agencies must not end up like others such as the power sector and the fuel subsidy scam, which ended without result.

    He called for speedy trial of suspects by the judiciary, adding that Judges must henceforth not be allowed to grant injunctions against suspects.

    “The anti-corruption agencies must not relent in their efforts in prosecuting corruption; that money must be recovered and put back into the country,’’ he said.

    He called for the diversification of the economy, stating that a situation where the government depends largely on oil revenue is inimical to growth.

    Wabba warned the government against disengaging workers in the cause of the merging of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), saying the NLC would resist such move.

    He said merging ministries with the sole aim of disengaging workers, would be met with stiff resistance by labour unions.

    Also, the NLC’s other faction led by Comrade Joe Ajero, has called on the government to suspend further privatisation of public assets, claiming that Nigerians are not reaping the promised benefits of improved and cost effective services from the public enterprises already privatised.

    Speaking with newsmen after their council meeting, Ajaero said it is clear that these privatised enterprises, like Nigeria Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Ajaokuta and other steel rolling mills are not in a position to provide public-spirited services.

    He said Nigerians are worse off paying more for poor services and performance.

    Lamenting the state of the economy, he said: “NEC in session expressed concern that if there is any reason Nigeria is yet to fulfil her development potentials, it is corruption. With over $150 billion  stolen and stashed away in foreign banks, we need not search further for any other reason for the perennial decay and the sorry state of our critical infrastructure.

    He said the NEC is in support of the President’s efforts to seek international support to ensure repatriation of the stolen wealth from Nigeria and bring to book everyone found culpable.

    “Beyond the recovery of stolen wealth, we urge the present administration to strengthen the anti-corruption agencies, such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission (ICPC), and as well carry out reforms in the justice administration system, such that corruption cases can be quickly dispensed with,” he added.

    Ajaero said the Council noted with pains that all economic indices indicate that the economy is in recession with falling oil revenue, the fluctuating foreign exchange rate, rising inflation, gradual decline in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate, declining household income, and increasing unemployment among others.

    “NEC in session opined that it is time to rethink our economic development strategy from foreign reserve guzzling import dependent framework to a system that will deliberately stimulate and promote sustainable productive activities in agriculture and manufacturing geared towards exportation of made in Nigeria made products.

    “NEC in session reiterates that the development of the real sector, particularly the iron, steel and automobile, mining, textile and garment segments, is quite critical for the creation of mass decent jobs, elimination of poverty and building a virile and sustainable economy,” he said.

    He said the Congress therefore, commits to engaging the present administration on these issues through campaigns and policy advocacy.

  • Labour and the clamour for wage increase

    The subject of wage increase has been a contentious one in our nation over the years. In 2011 for instance, agitation by various labour interests over the minimum wage palaver nearly threw the country into a state of confusion. While labour stuck to its gun, some State governors outrightly claimed that they did not have the resources to pay the N18, 000 minimum wage being demanded by labour. Till date, it is yet to be ascertained if all Sates of the federation have fully complied with the spirit of the agreement reached with labour on the issue in 2011. As for the private sector, most employers of labour are yet to actually embrace the 2011 minimum wage act.

    Based on the provision of the Minimum Wage Act signed into law by former President Goodluck Jonathan in March 2011, the minimum wage is supposed to be reviewed every five years. The implication of this is that the current wage will be due for appraisal by next year. Consequently, some labour leaders have been advising the federal government, and rightly so, to begin the process of the preparation in terms of gathering information and analysing them, in order to have the law reviewed for another five years. Indeed, at a recent parley with the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, Ayuba Wabba, revealed that labour is already working on a wage increase proposal which he urged the senate to quickly approve considering the biting economic situation in the country. Particularly hinging their argument on the dwindling economic fortune of the country and its ensuing hardship on workers, some labour leaders are already benchmarking N90, 000 as the most reasonable minimum wage for workers in the country.

    Undoubtedly, labour is both morally and constitutionally correct to negotiate for a new minimum wage with the federal government. On the moral side, it could be argued that since the political class has learnt how to take care of its share of the national cake, labour leaders equally have a moral obligation to protect the interests of their members. Indeed, considering the hard reality of our current economic predicament, labour is well justified to demand for wage increase. Similarly, as previously stressed, by the spirit of the 2011 Minimum Wage Act, labour has a legal ground upon which it could justify any agitation for the appraisal of the current minimum wage.

    However, in as much as labour has a good ground to start clamouring for wage increase, it is, however, important to stress that labour should, for once, change strategy and consider other options. If, indeed, the welfare of Nigerian workers is paramount, as one would want to believe it is, to labour leaders in the country, insisting on wage increase as the only way out of workers’ current and obvious economic woes would be counter- productive. As a public servant, one is a critical stakeholder on this issue. Hence, one is actually arguing from a pragmatic point of view.

    It needs to be emphasised that, from experience, previous wage increases, over the years, only helped to assuage workers economic miseries over a short period of time before the inflationary reality of such increase begins to agonizingly dawn on them. Consequently, any rigid insistence on wage increase by labour leaders, especially with the present economic downturn in the country, might eventually consume rather than console the workers. Since wage increase agreement is always announced with much fanfare by government and labour, one does not need to be a classical economist to conjecture how market forces and other variables would immediately react to such increase. Your guess, of course, is as good mine.

    Alternatively, therefore, one would like to canvas that our labour leaders should concentrate more energy on ensuring that government make more concessions in areas that would have direct and immediate impact on workers’ welfare such as provision of housing loans or indeed, affordable houses. As a matter fact, labour should constructively engage all tiers of government on the needed to effectively and creatively meet the housing needs of workers across the country.  Aside, food and clothing, shelter remains one of the most essential elements required for human survival. Hence, labour leaders need to properly engage the government on how to creatively fashion ways through which this all important human need could be practically met. Once a man is assured of shelter, half of his problem is considered solved. Of what essence is a salary raise that ends up in the hands of shylock landlords?

    Equally, labour must as a matter of urgency engage the federal government on the need to improve the power situation in the country. With the current unstable state of power supply in the country, many Nigerian workers spend a quarter of their earnings to fuel and service their various generating sets. One would rather advocate for labour to embark on industrial action over the state of power in the country than doing same over wage increase. Once there is a marked improvement in power supply across the country, workers would have more money in their pockets as they wouldn’t have to spend excessively on their generating sets anymore.

    In same vein, labour leaders must engage both federal and state governments as well as federal and states lawmakers on the need to the increase funding of the education sector. Labour should enter into helpful dialogue with government at all tiers on the need to lift the standard of public education in the country. In the 70s and 80s, most Nigerians attended public schools. By then, private schools were not really in vogue. It is the collapse of public schools in the 90s that led to the springing up of private schools. Today, the average Nigerian worker spends quite a fortune educating his children. Once the quality of education on offer at public schools improves remarkably, most workers and, indeed Nigerians, would be willing to send their wards to public schools. No matter, what the national minimum wage is, if the state of public education remains unchanged, Nigerian workers would continue to spend a large chunk of their earnings on the education of their wards.

    On a final note, the NLC and other workers unions in the country must begin to look beyond wage increase agitation as the only answer to the improved welfare of their members. The NLC and its affiliate bodies should begin to take on critical issues in the society such as decayed infrastructure, incessant power failure, corruption, bad governance, declining education standard, poor state of the refineries, security, poor public health system and other such vital issues with the same vigour and passion as they do with wage increase. Realistically, irrespective of how much the workers take home, if these issues are not bluntly tackled, the misery of Nigerians workers might continue for sometime.

    Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

  • ‘No wage rise until jobless rate falls to 5%’

    The members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to hold interest rates at 0.5 per cent.

    Average wages may not rise until the jobless rate has fallen to five per cent, a Bank of England policymaker has suggested.

    Martin Weale said there may be more spare capacity in the economy than policymakers had previously estimated.

    If so, it means employers have room to keep hiring for some time before they have to increase wages to attract scarce workers.

    He said low wage growth could also keep interest rates at 0.5 per cent for longer than currently expected.

    But he added policymakers should start to raise interest rates before any sustained rise in real wages occurred.

    In a speech to business leaders at a Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference in Northern Ireland Dr Weale said for every one percentage point that unemployment was “above its equilibrium,” quarterly pay growth was likely to be 0.3 per cent lower “than it would otherwise be”.

    He added: “If I put all of the weakness in wages over the past year down to the unemployment gap being larger than we currently believe, this points to extra spare capacity of over half a per cent of GDP.

    “This is consistent with a medium-term unemployment rate closer to five per cent than our current range of six per cent to 6.5 per cent (the Bank’s current consensus estimate of the point at which employers will have trouble recruiting suitable people).”

    In its February quarterly inflation report the Bank of England estimated there was between one per cent and 1.5 per cent of spare capacity in the UK economy, but Dr Weale’s remarks suggest that could be as high as two per cent.

  • Lawyers disagree over minimum wage

    Lawyers disagree over minimum wage

    What should be the minimum wage for lawyers working in law firms?

    This has become a hardnut for lawyers to crack as they expressed divergent views on the matter in Lagos.

    Among them, former chairman of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Lagos branch, Mr. Chijioke Okoli and former President of Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA), Mrs. Boma Ozobia differ on what should be the minimum wage for budding lawyers.

    Fielding questions from participants at the 6th annual mentoring programme for law students at the Lagos campus of the Law School organised by Sterlin Partnership Legal Practitioners, Okoli said it would not be in the professionals’ interest for principals to fix the minimum wage of young lawyers.

    He said the concern should be on how to empower the law firms and broaden their scope to make more money so that the principals will be compelled to pay their juniors a living wage because they make more money so that the principals will be compelled to pay their juniors a living wages. Okoli said asking principals to pay high wages to their juniors would discourage many principals from employing them.

    He asked that other professionals like accountants, estate surveyors and agents be stopped from doing lawyers’ jobs. “When lawyers and law firms do such jobs, it will enhance their capacities to pay higher wages to their juniors.”

    Disagreeing, Mrs. Ozobia said: “I disagree with Mr. Okoli because law is not practised in Nigeria alone, it is practised in about 54 countries of the world and there is a minimum wage for lawyers in England and Wales.” She called on the NBA leadership to look into the poor wages being paid to junior lawyers by senior members of the profession and find a lasting solution to it.

    Addressing the students earlier on the cannons and rules applicable to the judiciary in the administration of justice, Justice A. O. Dabiri of the Lagos High Court said the rules guiding the courts in reaching their decisions are stated in the law.

    Trials, he said, must be free and fair and based on the examination of witnesses. “The court must demonstrate virtues of honesty, integrity and if you are not in control of your court, lawyers will take the court over from you,” he said, adding that a judge must not only know the law, he must be courageous, hardworking and determined to do justice no matter whose ox is gored.

    A participant, Ms Femi Atilade, advised the students to start out after their call to the Bar with law practice. She said: “The advantage of starting with practice is that if everything else fails, you go back to practice to survive.”

    She said good communication skills, good manners, team playing spirit are very important qualities of a good lawyer. She advised young lawyers to have a very good knowledge of their industry, to know the long and short term goals of their organisations. “ Be patient, sacrifice a few years, build your network, get mentors and be an intern somewhere. Above all, pray to God for direction anything you want to do,” she said.

    Another participant Mrs. Ifeyinwa Azubuike said it was nice to be an in house counsel, but to make the best out of it and have insight into the practical side of law. She said clients enjoy in house counsel because of the high level of specialisation and efficiency, which is demonstrated in the performance of their work.

    Mrs. Azubuike said though in house counsel do not go to court, they enjoy satisfaction from what they do and being an in house counsel is not for everybody.

    She advised the students to ask themselves before going into practice whether they would like to become Senior Advocates of Nigeria or whether they would like to solve their clients commercial transaction problems.

    Commercial transactions, she said, is all about assisting your clients to successfully seal their commercial transactions. This, she said, is not for everybody, it is for a group of people who love commerce, economies and getting deals done.

    Mrs. Azubuike said lawyers in commercial transactions study beyond the documents that are passed over to them. It is not about winning the other side or loosing a case, it is about getting transactions sealed up for benefit of your clients.

    She advised students, who love commercial law transactions to go to a law firm that has very good mentorship scheme. “Research skills are very important in the life of an in house counsel, self motivation, commitment and a good plan are very crucial qualities of a good commercial lawyer. Find a way to distinguish yourself, be aware of transactions be ready to learn and be highly innovative,” she said.

    A member of Sterlin Partnerships, Mr. Isreal Aye advised students to make themselves employable. “You have to demonstrate that you have the potential to showcase what you have learnt, you need to show what you are bringing to the company, above all, try and make a value proposal,” Mr. Aye said.

    He continued: “Owning a law firm is entreneurship. Rules of professional practice do not allow you to run other practice with law practice, so, if you have passions for other pursuits, you better opt out of law practice. The key point is wherever you find yourself at the outset, give it your very best, then other opportunities will open up.”

    The President of the Students Representative Council (SRC) thanked Sterlin Partnerships for the initiative, which he said, has richly blessed the students by giving them focus, depth and direction in the vast profession of law.

  • ILO flays Fed Govt over minimum wage

    The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Committee of Expert on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR) has criticised the Federal Government over what it called the poor implementation of the national minimum wage signed into law in 2011.

    The committee, which is the ILO supervisory body that addresses observations and directs request to member-states observed that the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2011 has revised the amount of fines for non-compliance with minimum wage, thereby allowing employers to pay whatever they desire to workers.

    The Committee, in a statement, however, noted that the implementation of the new minimum wage was facing significant difficulties in some states and public administrations.

    This, the Committee said, was due to the fact that there is no legislative provision for sanction to employers who violate the law.

    The ILO charged the Federal Government to provide information on the measures taken or envisaged to ensure effective compliance with the minimum wage law by employers it applies, both in the private and public sectors.

    The committee further directed the government to provide information on the application of the Minimum Wage Fixing-Machinery Convention, which Nigeria ratified, and, in particular, if such information was available, the number of workers remunerated at the minimum wage rate, statistical data showing the evolution of the minimum wage as compared to the average or median wage or the inflation rate.

    It also directed the labour ministry to provide labour inspection results showing the number of infringements of the wage law observed and the measures taken to bring them to an end.

    Corroborating the ILO’s view, General Secretary, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Mr Alade Lawal, confirmed that the implementation of the minimum wage for civil servants was done in bad faith, noting that workers have not benefited from the adjustment in the new wage.

    He said the argument by government that minimum wage is only for workers in the lower cadre does not hold water stating that services of workers in grade levels 1 and 2 (cleaners) had already being outsourced to private firms. He challenged government to tell Nigerians those that are benefiting from the minimum wage.

    “To us, it is an implementation done in bad faith. This is because the minimum salary in the civil service before the implementation of the minimum wage is N17, 034. What the Federal Government did was to adjust the amount to N18,000. At the end, the 0.01 per cent increment was used to adjust up to grade level 17. Their argument is that they do not want to create distortion in the system. Government has made a mess of the whole issue. We do not see this as implementation of minimum wage because the adjustment has to be scientific,” he said.

    The Belgore Committee set up by the Federal Government to negotiate a new national minimum wage for workers had, in a bid to ensure compliance by stakeholders, recommended penalties for any employer who failed to comply with the new National Minimum Wage Act when passed by the National Assembly.

  • Heartland players want wage dispute resolved

    Heartland players want wage dispute resolved

    A Heartland top players have asserted that the Naze Millionaires’ players are hopeful that their discussion with the Imo Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha will yield positive results before they host El Kanemi Warriors in a Match day 36 on October 12.

    The Owerri side had open protest after their 1-1 draw at home to 3SC of Ibadan and they went a step further when they stormed the Imo Government House this week to demand for the payment of their outstanding entitlements.

    But the ‘warring’ players were pacified after they met with the State Governor on Tuesday. This made them to shelve their planned boycott of the Glo League tie at Port Harcourt Wednesday against Sharks which they lost 1-3.

    Speaking with SportingLife, a player of the club revealed that the players were thrilled with the talks with the Governor and what he told them invoked confidence. But the player enthused that they would like the Imo helmsman to match his words with action before their next league game on October 12.

    “We had a useful deliberation with the Governor on Tuesday and it has made us to go back with our mind fixed on given our best to Heartland.

    “We will like the Governor to see to our outstanding entitlements before our game against El Kanemi. We are not happy at the present position of the club and the last thing on our mind is to consider relegation,” the player told SportingLife.

    Heartland are 14th on the log with 46 points from 35 matches.

  • Minimum wage: NLC, TUC storm Senate

    Minimum wage: NLC, TUC storm Senate

    Following the Senate’s vote to move the minimum wage from the exclusive list to the concurrent list, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) will today storm the National Assembly to protest the proposal.

    The Senate, during the recent constitution amendment exercise, voted for the decentralisation of negotiations on the National Minimum Wage Act, while the House of Representatives overwhelmingly turned down the proposal.

    Although the proposal is currently awaiting the harmonisation of the National Assembly, the leadership of both the NLC and TUC, at a meeting with the principal officers of the House of Representatives yesterday in Abuja, rolled out plans to stage a protest to the Senate today to register their displeasure over the proposal.

    According to the NLC President, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar, the protest would take off at 9am from the Labour House at the Central Business District and end at the Senate where the unions are expected to present a protest letter to the Senate President David Mark.

    Omar, who described the decision of the Senate to undermine the popular wishes of the Nigerian workers as unfortunate, however, praised the House of Representatives for standing for the masses.

    He said although the House of Representatives displayed a high sense of responsibility in throwing away the proposal, they should resist any overture that would make them succumb to the whims and caprices of a few individuals driven by self motives.

    Omar warned that the House of Representatives should be wary of some people, who would want to exploit the avenue of the joint harmonisation session of both chambers to push through what they could not achieve earlier.

    He said: “We are very happy to note that the House did not even consider the removal of the minimum wage law from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list because of your belief that the Nigerian workers deserve a very proper place. As our logo depicts, it is the Nigerian workers that turn the wheels that generate the wealth of the nation and therefore it would be a disservice to undermine the workers and relegate them to the background.”

    However, there is still much to be done because, if we understand the working of the National Assembly, it will still have to move to the concurrent before being passed to the Houses of Assembly. This is a very major concern. The Nigerian workers have great fear that the hands that have been working behind the scene to influence some people elsewhere can still highjack the process.

    “Perhaps some people may still want to achieve what they could not hitherto achieve, at the joint harmonisation level. That is why Nigerian workers are very concerned and we say we need to come on solidarity to you to keep faith with the promise you have made to Nigerians.

    The Speaker Aminu Tambuwa said the House decided not to tamper with the Minimum Wage Act in line with the promise it made to the Nigerian people to always be committed to their cause.

    He noted that it was the Nigerian people that rejected the removal, stressing that all that the House did was to uphold the popular wishes of the people.

    He said: “We have come under severe pressure to come to where we have got today. All we did was to work on the agenda of the interest of Nigerians. It was the public that rejected the transfer. We only came here and upheld it.”

    While promising to continue to do the bidding of the Nigerian masses, he admonished the leadership of the two unions to extend their campaigns to the Houses of Assembly, who would also be required to vote on it.

    Reacting to the unions’ demand for the House of Representatives to intervene in the lingering face-off between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government to end the ongoing strike, Tambuwa said the House would table it for discussion tomorrow(today).

    He said one of the House members has already moved a motion on the strike.

  • NUJ faults delisting of national minimum wage from Exclusive List

    The B-Zone of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) yesterday said the proposed de-listing of the National Minimum Wage from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List is a step by the National Assembly to impoverish Nigerian workers.

    The union noted that the proposal, being spearheaded by the Senate, would make negotiation of salary difficulty for industrial unions.

    A statement by the union’s Zonal President, Dele Atunbi, said the listing of the minimum wage on the Exclusive Legislative List was to save the workers from shylocks who might want to take advantage of the free economy to enslave them.

    The union urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to protect the interest of the nation’s workers in the private or public sector.

    It reminded the leadership of the two trade unions of the dangers inherent in allowing the proposal to scale through.

    The NUJ added that the development would make negotiation of salary and allowances hectic for workers.

    The union wondered why the leadership of both trade centres was not invited to the public forum organised by the Senate, where the issue was discussed.

    It stressed that the deliberate omission of the labour movement from important public hearings on the matter was to impoverish the workers.

    The union urged the National Assembly to drop the anti-labour legislation in the interest of workers, who it called the catalysts of development.