By Correspondent in Minna
The Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly, Hon. Abdullahi Bawa Wuse, while receiving the protesting workers,assured them that the State Assembly would not support such bill.
The Reporters recalls on Tuesday that the workers had earlier demonstrated peacefully in Minna, against the proposed removal of minimum wage from Exclusive legislative list via a bill.
Niger state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had joined their counterparts from across the country in peaceful protest against the bill proposing the removal of minimum wage from the Exclusive Legislative List to Concurrent Executive List.
The Reporters reports that the workers, led by the State NLC Chairman, Comrade Yakubu Garba and the Chairman of the Niger State House of Assembly Committee on Labour and Productivity, Mr Madaki Malik Bosso took off at about 10 a.m and walked through major road from the state Labour House along Ladi-Kwali road to the State House of Assembly.
He said: “We are not in support. Nigeria workers must not accept this. The bill is anti-Nigeria and anti-Nigerian workers and so must be resisted and rejected by all well meaning Nigerians”.
“You cannot sit down at the National Assembly and contemplate such a bill without inputs from the people who elected you. For us in the Niger State House of Assembly, we will not attempt any amendments to the constitution that is anti-masses or anti-workers”, Hon. Wuse further emphasised.
Earlier while addressing workers, the state NLC Chairman, Comrade Garba, called on workers to resist attempts to arm-twist them into accepting or condoning acts that would have adverse negative effects on them and their children by way of showing support or elect any Governor or vote into power any politician with anti-people and anti-labour agenda in future elections.
Garba described the bill as malicious plot to enslave Nigerian workers by ‘enemies of Nigeria’, insisting that the proposed removal of the national minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list” at this period of our national life, is tantamount to a declaration of war against working class Nigerians by the present administration.”
He added that” the move to enslave Nigerian workers by the political class will make Nigeria a laughing stock in the comity of nations and urged civil servants to stand firm against all forms of ant-labour laws and policies by the present crop of leaders.
