NLC parade
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says its demand for the new National Minimum Wage remains N250,000 and not the N62,000 that was submitted to President Bola Tinubu.
Acting President of NLC, Mr Adewale Adeyanju, said this in a statement on Wednesday, in Abuja.
While reacting to Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech, he said the union appreciates the President’s commitment to those fine democratic ideals which allowed the work of the Tripartite National Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee to proceed unhindered despite some hiccups.
However, he stressed: “Our demand still remains N250,000 only and we have not been given any compelling reasons to change this position which we consider a great concession by Nigerian workers during the tripartite negotiation process.
“We are, therefore, surprised at the submission of Mr President over a supposed agreement.
“We believe that he may have been misled into believing that there was an agreement with the NLC and TUC.
“There was none and it is important that we let the President, Nigerians and other national stakeholders understand this immediately to avoid a mix up in the ongoing conversation around the national minimum wage.”
“We think that this is an opportunity for him to demonstrate his love for Nigerian workers and masses.
“That is by shunning the pieces of advice that may be coming from those whose intentions are continuously focused on hurting the poor and struggling workers of Nigeria.
“Mr President should not allow these individuals and groups to sabotage his promise of lifting Nigerian workers out of poverty.
“It is, therefore, important that Mr President understands that we were threatened severally by his operatives perhaps without his consent.
“Series of media propaganda calculated to intimidate and harass us were, and, are still being waged against the trade unions by senior officials of this government.
“Fully armed soldiers surrounded us while we were in a negotiation with the government,” he alleged.
He said neither the NLC nor the TUC has seen the final report submitted to the President whom he claimed may have been misled into believing that any agreement was reached by all parties in the tripartite discussion.
