Differential wage bill: Start with govs, political office holders, Labour tells National Assembly

The organised labour has again criticised political office holders over a bill which seeks remove minimum wage negotiations from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list.

The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, during a meeting between the House of Representatives leadership and labour leaders on Tuesday, said restructuring of wages should start with political office holders.

At the meeting were the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila;  Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; Deputy Majority Leader, Peter Akpatason; sponsor of the bill, Garba Datti Muhammad; and representatives of relevant committees of the House.

Recall that workers, under the aegis of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress, on Wednesday last week, held a nationwide protest against the bill.

The sponsor of the bill, Mohammad,  had,  at plenary on February 23, argued that it  would allow both the federal and state governments to freely negotiate the minimum wage “with their workers in line with our federalism.”

But reiterating workers’ opposition to the bill on Tuesday, Wabba stated, “We are ready to defend our position. If we are to start restructuring of wages, I think it should start from the political class. When salaries were reviewed by 50 per cent in 2011; those of political office holders were reviewed by 800 per cent.