NLC Threaten To Protest At NASS, State Assemblies Over Minimum Wage

The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday directed its members across the country to occupy legislative houses from Wednesday next week.

These include the National Assembly in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as the Houses of Assembly in various states of the Federation.

According to the labour body, the directive is to protest against a bill seeking to take the national minimum wage from the exclusive list and allow state governments to fix minimum wages for workers.

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The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, made the announcement at a news conference in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

He noted that the bill if allowed to be passed into law, would enable authorities in the states to enslave their workers.

Wabba explained that the directive was part of the resolutions reached at an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council of the NLC.

He said, “The NEC decided that should the need arise; it has empowered the National Administration Council of the NLC to declare and enforce a national strike action, especially if the legislators continue on the ruinous path of moving the National Minimum Wage from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List.”

“The NEC warned that should the current artificial scarcity persist, that the various leadership structures of the NLC should picket petrol stations found to be inflicting pains on Nigerians,” the NLC president added.

Read the communique issued at the end of the labour union’s NEC meeting below: