State governors who do not pay the approved minimum wage to their workers should be impeached.
The Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Enugu State, Comrade Ben Asogwa, stated this on Wednesday while commenting on the discord between the federal government and the Organised Labour over improved minimum wage in Nigeria.
Recall that proposed N54,000 minimum wage by the federal government was rejected by the Organised Labour.
Asogwa said it was a crime for state governments not to abide by the agreed sum for civil servants in their employ.
According to him, “Minimum wage doesn’t stratify workers. Federal, state, and private sector employees are included. State governors who don’t pay the approved minimum wage are outlawed. Any agreed minimum wage is a law, and not complying with such is a violation of the law. It is a crime, and an impeachable offence.”
On a possible strike by the Labour should federal government stick to its proposed N54,000 minimum wage, Asogwa said, “Strike is imminent. For instance, the electricity tariff from N66 to N225 is still being enforced. Governments make anti-people policies. President Tinubu’s regime is the worst.”
He decried insinuations that the Organised Labour is easily bought over during negotiations. According to him, without the outcries of labour, Nigerians would have been exposed to more difficulties in the hands of politicians.
He said after negotiations, the power to declare strikes lies with the National Executive Council of the organised labour, adding that there are laws established by the International Labour Organisation, such as the exhaustion of negotiations before strikes are declared.
He said it would amount to violation of such rules if arbitrary strikes were declared even when “Labour is after the protection of law and order.”
He called for concerted efforts of relevant stakeholders towards saving Nigerians from government harsh economic policies.
In his words, “The Organized Labour should not be left alone in this common struggle. There is a need for realignment of civil society organisations, students, traditional rulers, religious bodies and various groups in the struggle to liberate Nigerians from the excesses of our leaders. But instead of fighting this monster, you see some institutions conferring honorary awards and chieftaincy titles on them.”