A body of textile workers has kicked against the reduction of the 18,000 Naira minimum wage by some state governors in Nigera.
The governors’ plan, which was as a result of lack of funds, was criticised by the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria on Wednesday in Kadanu State.
Speaking after the group’s Central Working Committee meeting, the General Secretary of the union, Issa Aremu, questioned why the State governments could not pay workers’ salaries while past governors left office with huge severance packages and pensions.
Commending President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention in ensuring that workers’ salaries across the states were paid, the textile workers maintained that any governor that was not willing to pay the 18,000 Naira minimum wage had no business to remain in office since the paramount responsibility of any leader was to serve the people effectively.
They also urged President Buhari to embrace holistic implementation of the Textile Policy, as contained in the National Industrial Revolution Plan, stating that the textile industry remains a critical plank for addressing the current unemployment challenge in Nigeria.
While calling on the government to create enabling environment for the survival of the manufacturing sector, the union stressed the need for proper integration of sustainable industrial policy development for policy coherence between the different arms of government.
They urged the State governments to compliment the Federal Government’s efforts by initiating bold industrial policies such as provision of infrastructure, granting of genuine tax incentives and patronage of ‘made in Nigeria’ products to revive closed factories within their localities .