Kwara State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr
Abdulyekeen Agunbiade, has called on the Federal Government to review
the minimum wage in the country.
The NLC chairman made the call in Ilorin on Tuesday while speaking
with newsmen on the state of the nation. He added that according to
Labour law, workers salaries should be reviewed every ten years. The
labour leader explained that Nigerian workers would not settle for any
amount less than N50, 000 as minimum wage.
He declared that labour has not abandoned the call for upward
review of the minimum wage for workers in the country. The NLC boss said
that it was disheartening that Nigeria workers earn the lowest minimum
wage among it contemporaries in the world.
He said that the Labour Minister, Dr Chris Ngige, was not in
control of the ministry because the spate of trade disputes across the
country couldn’t have been that viral if he had been in charge.
The NLC chief added a number of strike actions embarked upon by
various trade unions were suspended out of sheer patriotism on the part
of the labour leaders.
Agunbiade stressed the need for Dr Ngige to consider his
pronouncement as the Labour Minister, which according to him showed
clearly that he could handle national trade disputes.
Agunbiade said NLC was in full support of the call for autonomy of
local governments in the country as well as true federalism of the
country.
According to him, for the local governments to be truly autonomous,
it must take full control of its fund and appoint its personnel.
-NAN