APC governors responsible for controversial differential wage bill, labour alleges

The organised labour has accused All Progressive Congress (APC) governors of sponsoring the bill seeking removal of the national minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list.

The labour alleged that some governors’ within the ruling APC who they branded ‘enemies of workers’ contracted Hon. Garba Muhammed, representing Sabon Gari federal constituency, Kaduna State to initiate the wage reclassification bill.

The union leaders made the allegations in Ekiti while protesting against the plans by the House of Representatives to alter the present wage structure, which gave the Federal Government the exclusive power to negotiate minimum wage for workers in the country.

Participating in the demonstration were members of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Joint Negotiation Committee (JNC) and other affiliated unions.

The workers were armed with placards displaying various inscriptions such as: ‘No to Minimum Wage on Concurrent list’, Wage Theft: ‘Crime against Workers, against Humanity’, and Minimum Wage is our Right, Don’t Decentralize Workers.

Addressing the Speaker, Funmiyi Afuye, the TUC chairman, Com. Sola Adigun condemned the differential minimum wage bill, describing it as obnoxious legislation laced with evil intents targeted at the Nigerian workers.

Adigun said that the ‘infamous bill’ which was part of the subterranean agenda of the APC governors to frustrate Nigerian workers was not only antithetical to the international minimum wage but also alien to the standard global practice.

“It’s saddening and disheartening that one Hon. Garba Datti which we all know is sponsored by governors of the APC, the enemies of workers, said minimum wage should be removed from the exclusive list to the concurrent list.

“The 30,000 minimum wage is not even enough to meet our needs. An average worker is taking home #1000 per day whereas a minister said they spend N13, 000 on an inmate in a day. And all we could get because we are considerate is peanut.”

It clearly stares us in the face that some governors that are unprogressive and see themselves as almighty said not to that,” he said.

On his part, the NLC Chairman, Com. Kolapo Olatunde called on the National Assembly to step down the alleged anti- workers’ bill in the overall interest of the country.

While urging President Muhammadu Buhari to rein in the APC governors and their co-conspirators in the National Assembly, he said the bill if not rescind will definitely incite the workers against the APC-led federal government.