From Ikechukwu Duru Owerri
The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Imo State Chapter has written to the State House of Assembly to rejected the move by politicians in the country to remove the minimum wage from the exclusive list to concurrent list in the constitution.
At the end it’s recent emergency state council meeting in Owerri, the leadership of the congress, issued a letter signed by the Chairman, Austin Chilapku and Secretary Ken Onwuemeodo to the State House of Assembly, condemning the move.
The labour leaders said, “while we align with the national leadership of NLC in this struggle, we urge you members of the National Assembly ànd members of Imo State House of Assembly to reject this Bill listed in the House of Representatives as HB 950 sponsored by one Hon. Garba Datti Mohammed from Sabo Gari Federal Constituency.”
According to them “the national minimum wage is a global standard adopted by the International Labour Organisation(ILO) through convention 26 which was ratified in Nigeria in June 1961”
Furthermore, they said “it was thereby given statutory effect by the then President Shehu Shagari in 1981 who signed it into law explaining that its reasons for condeming the Bill and urging national and state Assemblies to reject it was that the Bill seek to reduce the status of Nigerian worker at this critical period.
It maintained that the Bill if passed into law will place the faith of workers on the mercy of some Shylock employers who are not willing to pay salaries.
The labour leaders said in the letter with emphasis “this is the position of Imo workers and those who elected you are urging you to be in line with us in this struggle.”
According to them “this letter therefore acts as a protest by NLC, Imo State chapter against the anti-workers Bill which already has passed its first and second reading in the House of Representatives.”
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