Wage Law: NLC Mobilises Workers

The Nigeria Labour Congress has commenced mobilisation of workers across the country for a possible showdown over the move to remove the National Minimum Wage Law from the exclusive list to the concurrent legislative list.

The removal of the Minimum Wage Law from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list will empower the states of the federation to fix their respective minimum wages for their workers.

The Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Mr. Chris Uyot, said on the telephone on Friday that the foremost labour centre would soon call a meeting of its National Executive Committee to decide on the next step to take.

Uyot called on the House of Representatives to be on the side of Nigerian workers by voting to retain the Wage Law in the exclusive list.

Uyot said Nigerians were unanimous in opposing the move to remove the wage law from the exclusive list at various constituency consultations held on the issue.

The Senate had on Tuesday voted to remove the Wage Law from the exclusive to the concurrent list, an action which the NLC and the Trade Union Congress described as anti-people and a move to impoverish the Nigerian worker.

 The two labour bodies also said the action of the Senate was a   violation of the  International Labour Organisation Convention 131, to which Nigeria is a signatory.