The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said in its New Year message, on Thursday, that the N18,000 national minimum wage must be increased in 2016, even as it blamed the Nigerian elite, especially the politicians, for the economic situation in the country.

NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who signed the New Year message, said the congress would, in the New Year, fight to defend the right of workers to be paid take-home wages that can actually take them home.

“It equally has to be stressed at this point in time that reviewing the national minimum wage upwards is a multidimensional necessity. Economics, legality, politics and morality are pillars on which we stand. NLC will be ready to negotiate, but with the precondition that minimum wage must be reviewed and this has to be upward. We will fight to defend the right of workers to be paid take home wages that can actually take us home,” he said.

Wabba said the issue of national minimum wage was of much concern to the working class, emphasising that it was due for an upward review

He said: “The National Minimum Wage Act of 2011 established parameters for re-opening negotiations for a new national minimum wage, which is to be reviewed every five years. Such review would take into perspective the purchasing power of the naira and prevailing rate of inflation.

“As things are right now, with the devaluation of the naira, the existing N18,000 minimum wage equally declined in value, thereby worsening the cost of living for workers.

“It is however bothersome that the governors flew a reprehensible kite of minimum wage reduction in 2015. NLC did realise that this was a strategy to get us talking about retaining the paltry sum of N18,000 as minimum wage instead of calling for an increment.

“We had responded accordingly and made clear our resolve to fight against any attempt to reduce the minimum wage, which would be illegal, as would be efforts to curtail an upward review, in line with the provisions of the 2011 National Minimum Wage Act.” (Nigerian Tribune)

•Photo shows Wabba.

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