Organised Labour in Nigeria have reacted to the calls by State Governors that the size of the civil service will be pruned if they were going to pay N30,000 as new minimum wage.
Minimum Wage: Workers will be Sacked if We Pay N30,000 – Governors
The Governors Forum had reiterated that, workers will either be sacked or the revenue allocation formular of the Federation be reviewed if they were going to pay the new figure.
Reacting to the resolution of the Governors, the General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, said the governors should not mix up the issue of negotiation for minimum wage with sacking or employing workers as it was never a part of the negotiations.
Dr. Peter reiterated that Labour was only interested in ensuring that the Nigerian Worker is not reduced to the position of a slave hence the agitation for a new minimum wage.
“The process of downsizing is governed by an established process under the International Labour Organisation Convention. We are not discussing downsizing of the workforce or employment of workers.
What we are discussing is the minimum wage. We want to know exactly what the minimum wage is. The issue of downsizing is of collective bargaining. The issues should not be mixed. We don’t want workers to be slaves to their employers.” He said.
Organised labour issued a two week ultimatum to the Federal Government to expedite action on the new minimum wage or face the total strike action that had been averted several hours to commencement on November 6.
The state governors are however standing their ground, saying the new figures demanded for by labour will ruin the states economically as they will not be able to carry out any infrastructural development other than pay salaries in the states.