… Says rank of working poor in Nigeria expanding

Organised Labour has reaffirmed its readiness to use every available means permitted under labour laws to confront the Federal Government, if it attempts to shift the implementation of the new minimum wage beyond September.

The NLC president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, gave this hint in Geneva, Switzerland, as he also declared that the rank of the working poor in Nigeria was expanding, exacerbating household, generational and gender poverty.

Addressing the 107th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), in Geneva, Wabba said the ongoing process on the new wage must be concluded and implementation begin in September as earlier agreed.

This is even as the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, at the same event, maintained that the implementation of a new minimum wage could not commence by the end of September, as earlier agreed and made known by the government, adding that the Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee, working on it would only completed its work in September and submitted its report to government.

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But Wabba who was the leader of Nigerian workers’ delegation to the ILO conference, said the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) would confront the government with any other means that is legitimately allowed by law, if it failed within the stipulated timeline.

“President, the rank of the working poor in Nigeria is expanding thus exacerbating household, generational and gender poverty. One of the reasons for this is because wages are low, depressed and deflated. Given that minimum wage administration has been proven as a time-tested tool to stem wage downward spiral, the NLC is currently engaged in tripartite minimum wage negotiation with the government. We remain eternally vigilant to ensure that the process is successfully concluded within the stipulated timeline by the government of the federal republic of Nigeria.” Wabba said while addressing the ILO General Assembly.

Also responding to questions from newsmen following his presentation, the NLC president stated that the organized Labour has many ways of responding to issue, adding that both NLC and TUC would consult their organs to address the issue in their own way.

On the exact step the Labour movement would take, he said: “We have many ways of responding to issues and as we progress in the process, we will consult our organs and constituents and will be able to push the process through any other means that is legitimately allowed by law.”

He added: “I don’t want to keep repeating myself. I have told you that at the tripartite committee, we all commit to a timetable and timeline which is known and everybody is aware of it. So Labour represented by NLC and TUC are committed to following that timetable and time line.”