By Giwa SHILE
The organised labour on Sunday called for the immediate passage of the National Minimum Wage bill into law as soon as the committee concludes negotiation.
President of the United Labour Congress (ULC), Mr Joe Ajaero, made the call at the end of its Central Working Committee meeting in Lagos.
TBI Africa reports that the committee is expected to wrap up negotiation on the minimum wage bill in August.
Ajaero said the minimum wage negotiation had dragged on for too long and the committee should endeavour to meet the deadline. “We also hope that all relevant agencies that should implement the new wage will do so as soon as the bill is passed,’’ he said.
The ULC president also called for the immediate payment of arrears of severance packages owed defunct Nigeria Airways workers and Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
According to him, this is necessary to end the suffering of 48,000 electricity workers whose payment was not fully made and 2,000 others who were not paid at all.
He said “50,000 workers were disengaged during the PHCN privatisation in 2013, 48,000 workers received their severance package but were short-changed by six months while 2,000 workers were not paid.’’
Ajaero said in spite of various negotiations on the issue nothing had been achieved. The labour leader called on the National Assembly to review exiting industrial relations and other labour laws to align with modern reality in work places.
He said it was necessary for all stakeholders to be carried along in the process of crafting a better and progressive law.
He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill since it had already been passed.
He further called on the government to release the certificate of the ULC so that the nation’s industrial relations clime would be inclusive and robust.
