The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has urged states yet to implement the new minimum wage and those owing workers salaries to comply or face mass strike and protests this New Year.
President of the NCL, Ayuba Wabba, in his new year message titled, ‘Beyond survival: Nigerian workers and people deserve better in 2021,’ regretted that till now, some states are yet to commence payment of the new national minimum wage.
The NCL said that some states which were signatories to the collective bargaining agreements with state councils of the labour movement on the payment of the new minimum wage have taken it for granted.
The union said, “Accordingly, we call on all our state councils still struggling with their state governments on the payment of the national minimum wage and consequential salary increase and those whose state governments have unilaterally cut wages and are owing workers salary arrears to prepare for mass industrial action and protests this New Year.
“Furthermore, we insist that government must make possible the enabling environment that would foster job creation and full employment in line with the constitutional responsibilities of the state to ensure the welfare and security of citizens.”
According to the union, it would design a recovery plan that rebuilds the social contract between government and societies and hoisted on the foundations of resilience to help forestall further losses from the second wave of COVID-19 outbreak.
It said, “In order to achieve this, we must ensure that decent work is at the centre of government actions to bring back economic growth and build a new national and global economy that puts people and the planet first.”