Labour To Governors: Pay Minimum Wage Or Vacate Office

By Bimbo Ogunnaike

The Nigerian Labour Congress(NLC) has called on the State Houses of Assembly to identify with workers by compelling governors to pay the new minimum wage, saying any governor who refused to do this should be impeached.

The General-Secretary of NLC, Emmanuel Ugboaja,made the appeal while fielding questions from newsmen on Sunday in Lagos.

Ugboaja, who said any governor who refuses to pay the minimum wage should be impeached, said that they had the wherewithal to pay.

“It is criminal to say you cannot pay the new minimum wage. Some of these leaders ride in private jet, so they can pay,’’ labour scribe said.

According to him, the organised labour was in support of the return of the Labour Advisory Council, which would help to mediate between government and workers.

Ugboaja urged the Federal Government to take action against employers who would not pay the new wage.

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari signed the N30,000 minimum wage law on April 18 and after that, labour and Federal Government debated heavily on the consequential adjustment on worker’s salaries.

On October 18, both parties agreed on 23.2 percentage increase for workers on grade level 07 and 20 per cent for those on grade level 08, while 19 per cent would be received by workers on grade level 09, sixteen per cent for those from levels 10 to 14 and 14 per cent for grade levels 15 to 17.