The Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) Vice-Chairman,Mr Issa Aremu on Tuesday said that the only way out of the present recession was for the state governors to yield to the clarion call of prompt payment of salaries of their workers.
Aremu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the refusal to pay workers’ salaries by state governors for months was an act of wage theft and robbery.
He said that the economic recession would only be a thing of the past if state governors still owing workers salaries could pay up, adding that the nation would be able to naturally control inflation.
” Any government that is not paying salaries if its workers has no business being in office; to deny workers of their salaries as and when due or not to pay at all is criminal, wage theft and robbery,”Aremu said.
He charged the Federal Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity to ensure problems associated with labour maltreatment in Nigeria by is addressed and solutions are proffered .
” We talk of ease of doing business which is good but we must talk also of the cost of labour and maintaining it.
” No country can develop with an insecured, maltreated and poorly paid workforce, such workforce cannot be productive.
” The most important factor of production is labour, you can have capital and land but if the workers are not motivated and protected, the other factors of production will not deliver on their own.
” The success behind the secret story of China today is because they have human resources well motivated and protected,” he said.
Aremu also appealed to the Minister of Labour and Productivity , Sen. Chris Ngige to fast track the implementation of new minimum wage for the Nigerian workers.
Aremu said this should be the minister’s priority after he had announced to the leadership of the NLC that the Federal Executive Council had received the report of the committee on the new minimum wage for workers.
He said that the implementation committee should be constituted immediately as two years had gone already.
” I want to seize this opportunity to remind the Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity to make progress on the new minimum wage for workers,” he said. (NAN)
PTB/ PAD