By Gift Samuel, The Sight News
Abuja-Following the plan to remove labour issues especially the Minimum wage from the Exclusive list, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC has warned its members in every states not to sign any undertakings without the consent of the Congress.
The NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba who gave the warning on Thursday at the regular meeting of the National Executive Council, stated that workers have been at the receiving end as some of the new trends suggests that they have come under some level of attack and violation of some of their rights.
According to him, “There is now a new agitation to remove labour issues from the exclusive list, we need to strengthen the engagement on this issue. On no account should any state sign any undertaking on this very important subject matter without advancing our position and also without informing all our rank and file. To us this is very central and germane”
Speaking on the impending mass sack of workers in Kaduna state, he noted that the NLC is in support of reforms that are positive and has human face, adding that they must conform with the rule of law and due process.
“Our major approach to that issue is very clear, we will support reforms that are transparent, credible and aimed to address the challenges in our budding polity. Labour can only support processes that are transparent and conforms with the rule of law.
“The act by Kaduna state to sack 22,000 workers is part of the conditionality to get foreign loan from the World bank, hiding under tests including competency test cannot be justified” he noted.
He also said that emerging trends in Nigeria’s security paradigm shows that Boko haram is regrouping and the agitation emerging in the Niger Delta region, adding that Nigeria’s stability is dependent on peace as without peace investors cannot be encouraged to invest.
He said; “NLC will continue to act in a way and manner that will make sure that we advance issue of social justice in the system as well as the respect of rule of law and dignity of human being will be respected”.
He further noted that the present challenges cannot put NLC down as they will usually continue to win and encouraged them to engage the process of their debate in a manner that would add tremendous value and reach resolutions that would address the issues.
