₦30 THOUSAND MINIMUM WAGE: LABOUR UNIONS IN PROTEST MARCH, INSISTS ON NATIONWIDE STRIKE IF GOVT. REFUSES TO PAY

The organized labour in Enugu State has embarked on the planned one-day mourning-rally on the national minimum wage and sensitization of workers and the public to the nationwide strike scheduled for November 6, 2018.

The rally which began in the morning saw the workers move from the new state Secretariat through Kings way Road, Old Park, Okpara Avenue and back to the State Secretariat.

Earlier, the Trades Union Congress(TUC) and Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) had in a joint statement invited workers of Federal, State, Local Government, private sector, Civil Society Groups, the media and informal sector unions as well as traders to be part of the rally.

The organized labour has been at odds with the Federal Government over demands to increase the remunerations of public sector workers.

Last week, the Nigeria Labour (NLC), issued another strike notice over a stalemate arising from the Federal Government’s inability to accept the ₦30, 000 minimum wage demanded by labour.

A communique issued at the end of its emergency meeting and signed by the NLC President, Mr. Ayuba Wabba and the General-Secretary, Mr. Peter Ozo-Eson, directed labour to commence an indefinite nationwide strike from November 6.

Nigerian public sector workers are classified as earning some of the lowest wages in the world, although political office holders in the country, including the nation’s bicameral legislature earn some of the highest wages in the world.

State governors have in their previous meetings and statements complained of their inability to pay the ₦30, 000 minimum wage.

However, the NLC Chairman, Mr. Waba has argued that the State Governments can pay the proposed wage as labour has come down from its previous demand for ₦56, 000.

Mr. Waba says federal and state governments have refused to give proper accounts of their earnings and have had not done well to plug financial leakages while noting that the earnings of the political office holders are way too high.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has scheduled to hold an emergency meeting Tuesday to discuss the proposed new national minimum wage and come up with a position.

Governor AbdulazizYari of Zamfara State made this known while speaking with journalists at State after an expanded Economic Management Team meeting at the Presidential Villa on Monday in Abuja.

CHUKWUBUIKE MADU, GERALD UDEH AND NAN