THE Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has warned that the planned removal of the national minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to concurrent by the Senate, would spell doom for the nation.

NLC called on the Senate to retrace its steps and be on the side of reason, people, justice and history by ensuring that the minimum wage law remained on the Exclusive List, in the interest of industrial peace and harmony, enhanced productivity and national security.

It argued that beside the issue of wages, other equally serious challenges of legislation included organisation and  administration of   labour relations justice system as contained in item 34, Exclusive Legislative List, Second Schedule, 1999 Constitution (as amended), stressing that it would  be an invitation to confusion, chaos, possible anarchy  in the polity and judicial nightmare.

In a statement by its President, Abdulwahed Omar, NLC expressed concern the moves by the Senate to remove the national minimum wage law from the Exclusive List in defiance of reason, popular opinion and protection of the interest of the weak and the vulnerable.

…ASCSN too

Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, has  kicked against planned deregulation of the national minimum wage by the Senate, warning that it would lead to anarchy in the industrial relation arena in the country and negatively affect the democratic process, if allowed to sail through.

Highlighting the flaws inherent in the Senate’s proposed amendment in which wage would be removed from the Exclusive Legislative List in the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution as amended and placed in the Concurrent Legislative List, ASCSN Secretary-General, Alade Bashir Lawal,in a statement, argued that such action would further impoverish workers and their dependents as many State Governors would want to pay as low as N5,000 Minimum Wage to their workers.