Labour leader urges FG to hasten minimum wage review

The President, United Labour Congress (ULC), Mr Joe Ajaero, has urged the Federal Government to conclude the activities of the 16-man technical committee on minimum wage review.

Ajaero, who fielded questions from journalists in Lagos on Thursday, said that the quick conclusion of the work of the technical committee, would enable Nigerians to benefit from its recommendation.

“If the 16-man committee finishes its work, it will enable the immediate constitution of the Tripartite Committee to review the nation’s minimum wage which is long overdue.’’

He also urged the Federal Government to sustain its current effort at lifting the value of naira.

The labour leader commended the government’s current efforts on forex and called for a more sustainable action that would sanitise the Foreign Exchange market.

According to him, the deteriorating exchange rate of the naira and import coefficient contributed to the hardship in the country.

“Governments at all levels should endeavour to tackle the problem of hunger and hardship. Access to public service has become a mirage and poverty is becoming the norm.’’

The union leader said it was important to revive the nation’s refineries and build modular new ones as canvassed by the Presidency.

“Government should also legalise illegal refining in the Niger Delta for the next six months, to enable the country to attain self-sufficiency in domestic refining and reduce dependence on the importation of petroleum products.’’

He said that if government adhered to these measures, it would take away the pressure on the naira and make macro-economic policies more people-driven and better managed.

Newsverge recalls that the unresolved factionalisation of the NLC in spite of interventions by prominent labour leaders in the country, resulted in the emergence of the ULC as the third labour centre.

The labour centre, which is still undergoing formal registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), will apparently co-exist with the NLC and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.

It comprises National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the newly registered Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP).

Others are National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers