The National Vice-President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Amaechi Asugwuni has called on workers in the country to vote out state governors that are refusing to pay the new minimum wage of N30,000.
The call was made during the inauguration of the new National Administrative Council (NAC) of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) in Lagos.
He added that some state Governors had officially written to NLC declaring their willingness to pay the proposed amount.
It would be recalled that the NLC had announced a date for the commencement of an industrial action against the Federal and State governments over the new minimum wage, this was averted following last minutes deliberations in which the Federal Government assured workers of its readiness to pay the minimum wage. However after the suspension of the planned strike,Governors under the vauspices of the governors forum came out to openly state they cannot pay the 30,000 promised organised labour by the federal government negotiating team. The stance of the state governors has continued to attract the ire of organised labour since then.
Asugwuni further said that the N30,000 is not even enough as a take-home pay, adding that no Nigerian Governor would have the temerity to decline payment once the processes are concluded. However, the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) insisted that they would have to embark on job cuts to afford the N30,000 minimum wage, which was rejected by NLC.
He said, “I am telling Nigerians that any governor that undermines the payment of minimum wage should be voted out. They are hiding under the Governors’ Forum not to pay but they have confirmed to us and written us that they can pay the minimum wage.
“N30, 000 is not even the money that can take anybody home. The president as a matter of urgency should transmit that minimum wage document to the National Assembly”.
He called on the newly inaugurated executive of NUATE to work towards achieving the set goals, saying that the aviation industry remains one of the strongest affiliates of NLC.
Speaking, the President of NUATE, Comrade Ben Nnabue promised to carry everybody along by remaining focused in executing his programmes.
