New minimum wage hardly enough for workers –Wabba
The senior special assistant to the president on national assembly matters (senate), Senator Ita Enang, has confirmed the transmission of an executive bill to the national assembly for the new minimum wage of N27, 000 for state government workers and the private sector as well as N30, 000 for the federal government workers.
It would be recalled that the National Council of State comprising past presidents, Chief Justice of Nigeria, senate president and governors had at a meeting on Tuesday, January 22, approved N27, 000 as the wage for the least paid workers in the country and mandated President Muhammadu Buhari to forward executive bill to the National Assembly.
Confirming the transmission of the bill to the National
Assembly, Enang said on Wednesday evening: “Mr. President has transmitted the
communication in respect of the minimum wage. The bill has been transmitted to
the National Assembly and it is inappropriate to speak on it until it is read.”
It was gathered that the
bill was not received by the legislature before both chambers wound down plenary
on Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Ayuba Wabba said the minimum wage can hardly provide basic necessities of life for workers in many parts of the world.
Wabba who stated this in the address he delivered at the 18th Congress of the Italian General Confederation of Labour noted that one per cent of the world population now controls half of global wealth.
“In my own country, we face poverty, conflict, insecurity and corruption. Many of our people flee the place they were born to seek a better life in Europe, and are all too often turned away at gunpoint, prevented from landing, treated with utter disrespect.
“Fundamental rights are under attack in many countries. The levers of the global economy are in the wrong hands. The global economic system and current model of globalisation disproportionately benefit capital owners. The consequences for billions of people are poverty, insecurity and the loss of hope and trust. Given paucity of investments to produce a recovery that benefits workers, the workers and their unions are extremely challenged.”
“Our rights to bargain collectively, the right to strike, even freedom of association are under attack by greedy employers and governments who put profit before people.
“Inequality is at historic levels and wages are not keeping pace. Some 84 per cent of the world’s people say minimum wage is not enough to live on. More than 70 per cent of the world’s people have little or no social protection. All of these go side by side with the consequences of technology and the further erosion of direct employment and decent work,” he said.
