- The NLC warned states and the organised private sector against excuses for not implementing the new national minimum wage currently being negotiated for Nigerian workers
- President of the congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said states and employers of labour have always complained of the inability to pay new wages
- Wabba maintained that the problem of the country was not lack of resources by the ability to manage available resources
The Nigeria Labour Congress urged state governments and the organised private sector not to give any excuses for not implementing the new national minimum wage currently being negotiated for Nigerian workers.
The Nation reports president of the congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba made this known at a public hearing on the new national minimum wage organised for the north central zone in Lokoja, Kogi state.
He said implementation of whatever is arrived at by the committee is implementable if the governments across the country will cut down on their excesses and large number of political appointees they parade.
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Wabba who is a member of the committee said it was unfortunate that some of those who are supposed to make their input into the work of the committee through the public hearing choose to stay away, adding that they should not turn round later to complain of not being carried along.
He maintained that states and employers of labour have always complained of the inability to pay new wages, adding that the problem of the country was not lack of resources by the ability to manage available resources.
He stressed that government at all levels will reduce the large number of political appointees and the mismanagement of available resources, there will be enough resources to take adequate care of workers welfare, stressing that while states with huge allocations have been able to manage their resources and pay workers adequately, others have nor been able to do so, thereby owing workers salaries.
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According to him, states like Jigawa which did nor access the bailout fund have been able to pay salaries of their workers as and when due and also made one of the highest proposal on the new minimum wage to the committee.
While pledging his state’s willingness to implement the new wages that will be arrived at, Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello wants to consider increasing distributable revenue in favoie of states and local government in other for them to have money to implement the new wage.
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that civil servants in Nigeria were set to storm the ministry of finance, the ministry of budget and national planing and the National Assembly over non-payment of their salaries and promotion arrears
The arrears for the workersy was N48 billion after N12.3 billion was provided as virement in the 2016 budget for the settlement of the payment owed.
The workers from different ministries, departments and agencies are mobilizing to storm the finance ministry and two others to demand the immediate payment of the backlog of the payments.
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Source: Naija.ng