National Assembly To Meet NLC, TUC On Tuesday Over Differential Wage

The National Assembly will on Tuesday, March 16, meet with the organized labour leaders, following the nationwide protest held on Wednesday over the withdrawal of a bill that would remove the National Minimum Wage from the exclusive to the concurrent legislative list.

Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, a Majority Leader of the House of Representatives disclosed this on Wednesday while addressing workers who marched to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja to protest the bill.

Addressing the workers, Ado-Doguwa announced that the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, whom he said was in Lagos, had fixed a meeting between the lawmakers and the unions for Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Datti Muhammad, who sponsored the bill in an interview took a swipe at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) saying they should be civil in their opposition to the bill and stop attacking him.

Recall that the bill seeking to remove negotiations on the minimum wage from the exclusive list to the concurrent list passed the second reading in the House on February 23.

At plenary, Mohammed, while defending the bill, stated that it would allow both the federal and state governments to freely negotiate minimum wage “with their workers in line with our federalism.”

READ ALSO: Traffic Gridlock As NLC March To National Assembly Over Minimum Wage

AllNews had earlier reported that on Wednesday, workers across 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory staged protests to register their opposition to the bill.

As early as 9 am on Wednesday,  about 2,000 protesters had besieged the main entrance of the National Assembly. Although security agents shut the gate and prevented them from entering, at 11 am they overwhelmed the operatives and forced their way in.

After their members had entered through the main gate, the National President of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, and his TUC counterpart, Quadri Olaleye, led other labour leaders to the National Assembly complex through the second gate.

The labour leaders thereafter presented their petition to the House and the Senate. Copies of the petition were received by Ado-Doguwa, on behalf of the Speaker; and the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, who represented President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan.

Addressing the workers, Wabba noted, “You  have given us the mandate that if the right thing is not done, that the leadership has the right to declare a national strike.” The crowd screamed, “Yes!”

READ ALSO: NLC, TUC Embark On Nationwide Protest Against National Assembly Differential Wage

Wabba said, “We are going to resist the anti-workers bill; the anti-minimum wage bill sponsored by Datti. It is a dirty bill. We have a written document signed by the President of the NLC and the President of the TUC, itemising our complaints.

“We are here today on behalf of the Nigerian workers, pensioners, the downtrodden, to make it clear and unambiguous that the bill that seeks to remove the minimum wage from the exclusive list to the concurrent list is not accepted.”

According to Wabba, the issue with Nigeria is bad governance. He said the workers had suggested how the cost of governance could be cut and resources better managed to leave more funds to pay salaries.

The NLC President also noted that while the local government system had been made to collapse, the huge security votes maintained by governors had not been used to address insecurity in the country.

Addressing the workers on behalf of the Speaker, Ado-Doguwa stated, “He (Gbajabiamila) has also told me to tell you, through the presidents of the organised labour, that he will organise a joint meeting of the National Assembly leadership with the leadership of the organised labour on Tuesday next week so that this matter can be treated in a manner that Nigerians want.”

The Majority Leader confirmed receipt of the petition and assured  the workers that it would be given  “the right treatment.”

Ado-Dogunwa stated,  “I want to assure you that the House of Representatives will give you a listening ear and fair hearing. We will listen to your grievances. We will still invite you to come and engage with the relevant committee, of which I am a member; the constitution review committee.

“You will come and make your positions known formally; your positions will be heard at the committee level. And when we come to plenary, if we consider the bill, the members that are representing your constituencies will be on the ground that day to do justice to the bill.

“And I can understand:  the only justice to that bill is to kill it. (workers chorused ‘yes’). Is that your position? Is that what you want? Then, I will like to advise you: go ahead and lobby members that you elected. Tell them that you don’t want that bill, and the members will stand for you and make sure that the bill is killed.”