Onyedi Ojiabor 09/02/2011 00:39:00 The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday shifted its battle for a new minimum wage for workers to the National Assembly. Its President Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar led Congress leaders and its National Administrative Council to plead with members of the House of Representatives for a speedy passage of the National Minimum Wage (amendment) Bill. Omar, who traced the history of NLC’s many battles for wage raise, noted that the initiative started in 2008 with a demand for N52,000 minimum wage. He said though 39 unions and the National Council of State had endorsed N18,000 as minimum wage, the National Assembly was required to pass a minimum wage bill before it could become a law. Omar recalled when the Congress threatened to go on strike over the issue, the House dispatched a delegation to plead with the workers not to down tools pending when President Goodluck Jonathan would send the National Minimum Wage Bill to the National Assembly. “Now that Mr. President has forwarded the Bill to you, we urge you to expedite action on it. We believe that you are capable of doing justice to workers by making the Bill one of the fastest ever passed by the House,” Omar said. He noted that the request is not new since the House also gave accelerated treatment to a minimum wage Bill in 2000. Deputy Speaker Usman Nafada, who received the labour leaders in company of the Chief Whip, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and others, said the Bill was read for the first time on January 25, to underscore its importance. Nafada said the passage of the Bill is as important to NLC as it is to the House and therefore its consideration would not be delayed. He pointed out that improved minimum wage is important to junior workers who also shop at the same market with senior workers.
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