ABUJA—THE Federal
Government yesterday said it was carefully studying the recent demand for
upward review of the national minimum wage by organized labour. Recently, the
Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC led by Ayuba Wabba, and Trade Union Congress of
Nigeria, TUC, sent a N56, 000 minimum wage to the Federal Government, and the
Joe Ajaero-led NLC demanded for N90, 000.
A One Man Protest on President
Muhammadu Buhari; during the 2016 Workers Day Commemoration at Onikan Stadium,
Lagos Island.. Photo: Bunmi Azeez The Minister of Labour and Employment,
Senator Chris Ngige, who stated this when he received the executive
members of the Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa, OTUWA, in Abuja,
described the demand of the organised labour as a legitimate demand. According
to him: “The other day, the labour requested for increased wages for workers
and they have only done what they are supposed to do. Therefore, nobody will
quarrel with them. At the appropriate time, we shall all sit down because what
labour is asking, is for the re-negotiation of an existing Collective Bargain
Agreement, CBA. Every CBA based on an agreement is subject to re-negotiation at
any given time that any of the partners requests for it.” Ngige dismissed
insinuation that whenever the Labour made such a demand, it meant that the
workforce was at loggerheads with the government, saying:, “It is wrong for
people to think that whenever the labour makes such a demand the nation is
boiling. The labour in Nigeria has for the first time met a labour-friendly
government under President Muhammadu Buhari. The government has put
machinery in motion as we speak because I have got a letter as the Minister of
Labour and Employment for my advice. We shall advise government the way the
tripartite negotiation will be handled so that everybody will be satisfied
without any industrial unrest. He added that Labour was part of the tripartite
arrangement of the International Labour Organisation structure which Nigeria is
signatory to. The minister commended OTUWA for fulfilling its roles as
envisioned by the ILO. Earlier, President of OTUWA, Comrade Mademba Sock, said
the organisation in 2015 took far- reaching decisions to revive and
re-position OTUWA, which though was established over three decades ago but
still faced a lot of challenges. Sock said the decision to re-locate its
headquarters from Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire to Abuja was to enhance its
operations since the headquarters of ECOWAS is in Abuja. According to him, the
body had a five-year strategic plan meant to galvanize its visions, function
effectively and boost its merits for the benefits of the labour unions in the
ECOWAS sub-region. A statement by Samuel Olowokere disclosed that Sock
was accompanied on the visit by the factional President of NLC,
Comrade Ayuba Waba, Deputy President of OTUWA , Comrade Demma Wright and
the General Secretary , Comrade John Odah among others.
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