Leadership (Abuja)
4 January 2009
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the federal government to empanel a tripartite committee for negotiation to ensure that workers get a living minimum wage early in 2009. It urged the federal government to implement people-centred policies.
This was contained in a New Year message signed by its national president, Abdulwaheed Omar and made available to Leadership Sunday.
According to NLC, given the current economic realities, there is an urgent need for a general wage review. "While the National Minimum Wage Act pegged workers' minimum wage at N5,500 per month which was increased by 15 per cent between 2006 and 2007, political office-holders' wage was increased by over 800 per cent. This gulf in wages in the same public sector widened further with the 2008 increase in the compensation package of political office-holders which has been doubled," it said.
The Labour Union noted that both political office-holders and workers operate in the same market forces, so they are prepared to defend the demand for N52,200 minimum wage and the general wage review in the country.
In the same vein, the NLC called on the federal government to implement people-oriented policies rather than being dictated to by external institutions. It added that the continuous importation of refined petroleum products by "government is a matter of choice as the refineries can be fixed and continue producing only if the government summons the courage and does the right thing"
On the war against corruption, NLC noted that "In spite of Nuhu Ribadu's shortcomings and the institutional weaknesses of the EFCC during his period as the head, the cases lined up against him are diversionary.
"We renew our call on President Yar'Adua to urgently intervene by calling off all those after Mallam Ribadu. Similarly, we believe that the police authorities should allow Ribadu's case against the police which is before a competent court to be dispensed."
While deploring the poor state of the power sector, the union urged the National Assembly to go beyond the power probe it undertook and publish its findings as it is important that those found culpable be handed over to the relevant law enforcement agencies for prosecution.
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