By Lanre Adesanya
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has commended the National Assembly on a proposed bill to make criminal, employers’ of Labour who defaults in payment of salaries to their employees.
The proposed bill according to the labour union is a step in the right direction and one that was long overdue which Nigerian workers indeed believe that the National Assembly has finally woken up from slumber and decided to stand once again with the working class.
As contained in a press statement signed by the NLC president,comrade Joe Ajaero,made available to our correspondent,a worker’s salary is his life line. It is his means of sustenance and the essence of his being. When a worker’s salary is delayed or not paid at all, his life is suspended and stripped of all the things that make him a human.
The union in the statement added that unpaid salaries therefore dehumanizes a worker and makes it difficult for him to meet the challenges of everyday-life, a worker’s salary pays for his accommodation; his feeding and that of his wives and children including the extended family; his clothing; Medicare; pays children school fees and other educational needs; pays for transport and other corollaries. The essence of any man or woman working is for sustenance. His salary becomes the basic instrument for meeting this essential need.
According to the statement ,without the salary, the worker becomes greatly exposed to serious social danger making living uncertain and hopeless. Any organisation that therefore denies the worker this right, causes grievous harm to the worker and his dependents. This harm is not only psycho-social but also spiritual and inflicts deep trauma on him that may eventually take more than that salary to resolve eventually.
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In addition, it was noted that refusal to pay a worker his salary will lead to for example; broken marriages , wayward children as a result of the inability of the Parents to meet obligations to their kids; homelessness, prostitution, robbery of various dimensions, increased medical challenges like abnormal blood pressures, and ultimately untimely death.
it further praised the National Assembly in that the Bill has shown that it knows what to do to positively impact the lives of the citizenry and protect the nation from criminally minded and irresponsible employers.
The union therefore throw its weight behind the bill,saying,”the proponents of this bill have shown that they are not like the those of the who travel abroad only to come back with ideas on how to increase Taxes and make anti-poor policies and regulations,they have shown that they can also bring back progressive ideas such as this proposed Bill.
“We remember that some Nigerian Companies who set up shop in South Africa some years ago had to be thrown out because they went with the same criminal idea of robbing workers of their wages at the end of the pay period. We are delighted that the NASS knows of this good law and has decided to allow Nigerian workers receive its benefits and protections.
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) stands as one with the National Assembly on this proposed Bill and will in due course set up a special committee to work with the sponsors of the Bill to make it a reality. We were duly informed that some internal intrigues and external pressures have temporarily made the Bill to be stood down. However, with our solidarity and support, this landmark Bill will become an Act later”,the statement reads.