Workers under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Plateau State on Wednesday took to streets to protest against the bill seeking to move national minimum wage from exclusive to concurrent list.
The workers also said removal of the minimum wage from the exclusive to concurrent list was anti-workers and must be discarded.
DAILY POST reports that workers in their numbers took their demands to the State House of Assembly where they were received by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abok Ayuba.
Speaking at the State Assembly complex, Plateau NLC Vice Chairman, Comrade Sunday Akin, said that the protest was declared by the national leadership of NLC and TUC over minimum wage, hoarding of petroleum product and a plan to establish a State Judiciary Council (SJC).
According to him,”Congress condemned in its entirety the idea of sponsoring a bill that would remove the minimum wage from the Exclusive Legislative List to Concurrent Legislative list.
“State governments have the right to have their own minimum wage so far the wages are not below the national minimum wage.
“The bill sponsored by a member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Garba Datti Mohammed, representing Sabon Gari Federal Constituency, Kaduna, marked HB 950, has passed its 1st and 2nd reading in February 2021.
“Mr speaker, we are here to present the position of Plateau workers concerning the three issues,” he said.
“This bill is anti workers and it must be discarded”, he maintained.
The Vice chairman urged the speaker and indeed the Plateau Assembly to reject the bill if it gets to them.
Also speaking, Alhaji Abubakar Umar of TUC, said that the said bill was detrimental to the interest of workers particularly those in Plateau.
Umar said that the workers were confident that the Plateau House Assembly would not support the bill.
Responding, Speaker of the House, Ayuba thanked the workers for conducting themselves peacefully.
He said, “The issue of amendment of law is a process, it must pass through the two chambers of National Assembly before its gets to state houses of assemblies.
“Once it finally comes, we will call the stakeholders and discuss with you before we take a position”, he assured.
“Plateau House of Assembly has never failed workers, even when the bill for the autonomy for local governments came we passed it in Plateau,” the Speaker stressed.
