NLC, TUC And ASCSN Threaten Strike Over Decentralisation Of Minimum Wage

Mr. Bobboi Bala, ASCSN National President

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) on Wednesday threatened to

issue a sit-at-home order to protest the decision of the National Assembly to move the minimum wage from exclusive legislative list to concurrent list under the current review of the 1999 Constitution.

The organized labour organisations said they had rejected the planned deregulation of wages. They argued that if allowed to succeed, it would be akin to a declaration of war on Nigerian workers and would complicate the already bad security challenges in the country.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday and signed by the ASCSN National President, Mr. Bobboi Bala Kaigama, and the Secretary-General, Mr. Alade Bashir Lawal, the union called for the total resistance of the move by the federal lawmakers to further impoverishes Nigerian workers by outlawing the meager national minimum mage through the back door.

It stated: “We urge the trade union movement, the civil society groups, religious leaders, royal fathers, and other well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the National Assembly to reverse its decision to decentralize wages in the interest of peace in the country.

The ASCSN chieftains lamented that the monthly take home pay of each federal lawmaker is about N30 million, yet they were at pains that Nigerian workers receive N18, 000 monthly as the minimum wage, which is about $109 per month.

“We urge the state assemblies not to join the National Assembly in its war against Nigerian workers. They should therefore retain wages and other related labour issues in the Exclusive Legislative List,” the statement added.

ASCSN pointed out that while the salaries of federal lawmakers are centrally fixed by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), they are insisting that state governments should fix the minimum wage so that the governors can pay as low as N5, 000 monthly to helpless workers or no salary at all.

The Association also warned the lawmakers to be ready for the workers’ mass action because the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 131 of 1970, of which Nigeria is a signatory, requires member States to institute a National Minimum Wage below which no employer should pay.

They threatened to commence an indefinite strike following the planned exercise.

“But this time around it is not going to be business as usual. Labour will mobilise millions of Nigerian workers including other oppressed citizens as well as the international community to resist this negative action of Nigerian federal lawmakers because this country belongs to all of us,” the union vowed.

The NLC General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo-Esan, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, said that the organised labour would resist the move with all the resources at its disposal.

Ozo-Esan said that the NLC had called an emergency meeting of its National Executive Committee for Monday to take a final decision on the next plan of action.

He said, “Clearly, we are opposed to the movement of the labour issues to the concurrent list. You know that the Senate President (David Mark) gave a promise to revisit the issue during a protest organised by the labour unions on this issue to the National Assembly. And the House of Representatives voted against it so it is a surprise to us.”

“We are opposed to it, we think it is retrogressive, it is not an issue we will allow to stand, we are going to contest it with all the resources at our disposal. You will be hearing from us on that.”

“As we speak, we have conveyed an emergency NEC meeting on it for Monday next week; it is the organ that will take the NLC’s next position on the issue…"

“We have always taken a position that we require autonomy for local governments, we are ok with that, we have canvassed that position for some time. What we are opposed to is a situation, where autonomy will now affect payment of teachers’ salaries.”