By Victor Ahiuma-Young

THOUGH a tripartite National Minimum Wage Committee was inaugurated by the President Muhammadu Buhari on November 27, 2017, it is becoming obvious that Organised Labour and indeed, workers, are now restive over the protracted issue which has been a focal point of Labour agitation since 2015 when the current N18,000 minimum wage elapsed.

Indications have emerged that the issue will certainly dominate Labour discourse.

As a pointer, Labour has issued    deadline for all processes concerning a new national minimum wage to be concluded.

For Organised Labour on the platform of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, and the United Labour Congress of Nigeria, ULC, the issue of a new minimum wage has to be addressed as quickly as possible to avoid industrial unrest.

In its New Year message, NLC through its President, Ayuba Wabba, said among others things: “Following the recent inauguration of the tripartite National Minimum Wage Negotiating Committee by President Buhari, it is the expectation of Nigerian workers that the committee under the chairmanship of Ms. Ama Pepple, former Head of Service of the Federation, will expeditiously conclude its assignment.

This is because a new national minimum wage has been due for over a year now. It is also our expectation that upon completion of negotiations, the National Assembly will give the executive bill that will emerge, an accelerated passage for the new national minimum wage to become a reality before the end of the 3rd quarter of 2018.

“We entered into the new year with several states owing workers arrears of several months of salaries and pensions. We wish to re-state our determination to continue to mobilise for the full payment of these outstanding salaries and pensions.

As we approach the 2019 general elections, workers will certainly not forget governors that subjected them to untold hardship by refusal to pay their earned entitlements on the excuse of scarcity of resources while choosing to pay themselves, their political appointees and cronies’ huge packages.”

In the same vein, TUC through its President and Secretary-General, Bobboi Kaigama and Musa Lawal, respectively, demanded  that “the National Minimum Wage Committee set up by the Federal Government should conclude everything concerning the new wage on or before the end of the second quarter of 2018.

“All state governments should pay all outstanding salaries and allowances to workers before the end of the first quarter in 2018. All corrupt political officials should face the music, irrespective of their political affiliations. No more soft landing for anybody found to have looted the country.”

On its part, ULC through its President, Joe Ajaero said: “Our hands are stretched out to all whose interests it is to rid Nigeria of all the crass and corrupt actions of those in position of governance even as we commit to negotiating a fair and equitable minimum wage that would truly serve Nigerian workers and masses effectively and positively.

We shall ensure that the minimum wage review is concluded expeditiously and becomes law on or before February, 2018.

“ULC will work with other groupings with which it has already entered into discussions to ensure that the different platforms for insipid corruption leading to underdevelopment, is interrogated, exposed and dethroned.

We shall look into the hidden and institutionalised corruption that the management of the nation’s coffers especially the Foreign Exchange, FX, conundrum has become and we shall seek a new framework that would enable economic development that would benefit Nigerian masses.”