NLC warns governors who refuse to support new minimum wage that they will be voted out

NIGERIAN Labour Congress (NLC) leaders have warned all governors that oppose the introduction of a minimum wage and are seeking a second term in office will lose when they face the electorate in elections next year.

In February, 2019, Nigeria goes to the polls and most of the country's 36 governors will be facing the electorate with labour issues now likely to be a key sticking point. This morning, the NLC called a nationwide strike to protest the failure of the federal government to address its demand for a new minimum wage of N56,000 ($154) a month.

At the moment, the national minimum wage is a paltry N18,000 a month and even at that, numerous state governors have failed to pay workers with most of them owing a backlog of salary arrears. In the recent Ekiti and Osun state gubernatorial elections, salary arrears were a central issue, with voters punishing incumbent governors for owing them.

Comrade Adamu Garba, the NLC vice chairman of in Gombe State, warned this morning as organised labour embarked its nationwide strike that governors opposed to the new minimum wage will lose their bids for a second term. He said that the state council of NLC would not compromise its resolve to ensure compliance with the directives of the national secretariat on the strike to press for a new national minimum wage for workers in the state.

Comrade Garba added: “Majority of governors that fail to implement the minimum wage may not come back for their second term. Instead they will be voted out of office because of lack of political will.

“Many governorship aspirants are willing to implement the minimum wage if given the chance in their various states. All affiliates of the NLC have been directed to comply fully with the nationwide strike and we have mobilised our members to ensure total compliance."

He added that the NLC has achieved more than 90% on the implementation of the 2011 minimum wage of N18,000. Comrade Garba said he is optimistic that the struggle for a living wage would yield the anticipated victory for serving and retired civil servants.