The Nigerian Labour Congress has vowed that governors should prepare for mother of all battles if they go through with the proposed minimum wage reduction or completely stop minimum wage.
In an interview with Vanguard, Wabba explained that governors cannot claim that they are unable to pay minimum wage because some of them spend double a worker’s minimum wage to feed their their pets monthly.
He said “Governors should prepare for the mother of all battles. They should not underestimate the resolve of the NLC to protect the interest of workers. We will shut government in any state where the governors stop payment of N18,000 minimum wage.
“What is N18,000 that these governors say they can’t pay. Some of them spend more than N100,000 to feed their dogs, lions and other pets they keep monthly. If they can feed animals with N100,000, why can’t they pay their fellow human beings, an average worker, N18,000 monthly. It is an insult, we are not going to take it.
“We are still in a state of shock that our governors could make such pronouncement. What is N18,000 in view of the current economic challenges in the country? Speaking realistically, what is N18,000 in a month? We were thinking that these governors will make an upward review of the minimum wage, but what we got in return was a shock. N18,000 is not a living wage, and our leaders know this and yet they are saying they can’t pay it.”
He added that the sustenance of N18,000 minimum wage is non- negotiable. He said “We are open to dialogue. However the sustenance of N18,000 minimum wage is non- negotiable. We are even planning on demanding for an upward review of the minimum wage in view of the present economic hardship.
“Many states are in the poor financial state they are in today largely on the developmental choices they have, largely on the basis of priorities they have chosen which has nothing to do with public good.
“We insist that workers’ salaries can’t be sacrificed on the altar of the challenges of the economy which is not the making of workers. It has never happened in the history of our country and it will not be said that it is during our leadership of the NLC that this calamity was allowed to happen to workers.”