New Minimum wage

Labor

New Minimum Wage : Labour Leaders must Redeem Their Image-AWC

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has called on labor leaders in Nigeria to redeem their image  by achieving the new national minimum wageto regain workers confidence.

The AWC made this call through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

''Our labour leaders must redeem their image by ensuring that everything about a reasonable living wage is achieved, else the leaders would seize to enjoy the solidarity of the Nigerian workers. The Nigerian labour movement has missed the target, in the past four  years, they have been unable to achieve a new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers, despite been part of the Tripartite committee.''
''The involvement of labour in that committee was a colossal waste of time as nothing tangible has come out of it. What is painful now, is that the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) the Trade Union Congress(TUC) and the United Labour Congress(ULC) have deliberately refused to hit the nail on the head, instead they are romanticizing the situation, begging the question at all times, thereby leaving workers to stray like sheep without shepherd''.
''The feeling everywhere is that labour not achieving the new national minimum wage in  the four  years, is tantamount to failure and since labor has failed the Nigerian workers, the Nigerian workers, of course demand an apology, over the non actualization of a new national minimum wage in the four years''.
''Besides, engaging government on the issue of new national minimum wage, labour leaders must also engage themselves and do self-examination, to determine if they are really and truly pursuing the interest of the Nigerian workers. Take a look at the modus operandi of the labour movement, you see a movement that has been pampering government. The conclusion  is that the labour movement in Nigeria is not just weak and conservative, but also reactionary. And as a result, there is the urgent need for labour to overhaul and shed its present toga, this would go a long way in redeeming the image of labour'', Comrade Emelieze asserted.