Minimum wage: TUC makes fresh claims as Nigeria marks 59th independence anniversary

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Monday  said Federal Government swindled Nigerian workers because of 2019 general elections by signing into law the Minimum wage act 2019. 

In a  59 independence anniversary massage jointly signed by the president Comrade Quadri Olaleye and Comrade Musa Lawal Secretary general, TUC said delayed tactics employed by government to implement the new wage is regrettable. 

They said setting up another committee as announced by President Buhari shows Government is not ready to implement the new minimum wage.

The movement further said it was not true that some states can’t pay minimum wage, because if cost of governance is reduced any one can pay N30.000 as minimum wage. 

According to the massage, “it is unthinkable for government to even suggest there is no money to pay minimum wage, but 5.6bn has been budgeted to buy cars for lawmakers.  

“We find it disturbing that months after the National Minimum Wage Committee (NMC) set up by the Federal Government to work on the new wage had submitted their report government is still not committed to paying the new wage. We are beginning to think that signing it in the first place was because of the 2019 General elections. To talk about setting up another Committee over the same issue makes us feel we have been swindled. We have learnt our lessons.

“The argument on the part of government has always been that there is no money to pay minimum wage whereas lawmakers have budgeted N5.6bn to purchase automobile that are not produced in Nigeria. 

“Our believe is that government can actually pay if only the cost of governance will be reduced. As long as some people continue to feel that they are more Nigerian and therefore should enjoy more than others we cannot have a sane society”. 

On the 59th Independence, TUC said, “Nigeria gained independence 59 years ago from Britain. History records that it was an electrifying experience because for once the founding fathers, nay Nigerians will now determine their own fate. It was a trying period but without bloodshed.  

“However, the bloodletting came almost six years after independence with the military interregnum that saw to the end of the First Republic. 

“The military incursion into politics, corruption, ethnicity, religious crisis, etc. has worked against our national development. It is even more worrisome and unfortunate that at this time and age the crack is widening by the day”.

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