NLC Storms National Assembly To Protest Removal Of Minimum Wage From Exclusive List

The protest, which kicked off at the Federal Secretariat and later moved to the National Assembly, has hundreds of protesters chanting slogans against the proposed bill.

 

Nigeria workers under the umbrella of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) are currently protesting at the National Assembly over the proposed transfer of the minimum wage from the Exclusive Legislative List to Concurrent List.

 

The protest, which kicked off at the Federal Secretariat and later moved to the National Assembly, has hundreds of protesters chanting slogans against the proposed bill.

 

Speaking on the importance of the protest, NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said the bill was not accepted by Nigerian workers.

 

He, therefore, demanded its immediate withdrawal.

 

He said failure of the National Assembly leadership to withdraw the bill would attract the anger of Nigerian workers and that the organised labour would be forced to declare a national strike.

 

House Leader, Ado Doguwa and Deputy Senate Whip, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi addressed the protesters and assured them that the legislature would not enact any legislation against Nigerian workers.

 

If minimum is moved to the Concurrent List, each state government can individually negotiate how much it intends to pay workers as minimum wage unlike currently when it is negotiated nationally and binding on each state government.

 

Wabba said that apart from creating minimum wage variations across states, it will introduce politics into the wage determination and negate the collective bargaining principle.