From Segun Amure, (The New Diplomat’s Abuja Bureau)
House of Representatives’ Majority Leader, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa on Wednesday commended organised labours over the protest it held against the planned removal of the new minimum wage from the exclusive list to concurrent list.
Doguwa who gave the commendation while addressing protesters at the National Assembly on Wednesday advised them to lobby with their elected representatives to kill the bill.
He stated that the labour leaders have shown that they are against the bill and promised that the lawmakers will give organised labour listening hears.
His word reads, “You are in the right hand and in the right place and the right institution which is a representation of the general membership of organized labour in Nigeria.
“From what I am seeing now, it is clear that organized labour is against that Bill. I want to assure you that the House of Reps would give a listening ear to your message.
“We will still invite you to come and engage with the relevant committee of which I am a member. You will come and make your position fully.
“Your position will be heard at the committee level and when we come to the plenary to consider the bill, members that are representing your respective communities, engage with them to do justice to that Bill and I can understand that the only justice would be to kill the bill.
“I want to advise please lobby members that you elected that you do not want the bill and make sure the bill is killed,” he said.
The organised labour protested against a proposed Bill by Rep. Abbas Tajuddeen which seeks to remove the issue of minimum wage from the exclusive list to the concurrent list.
The bill, if passed into law, will give states the autonomy to determine and pay minimum wage to their workers based on their incomes and other considerations without interference by the federal government.
The move comes as N30,000 has been approved as the amount that least paid worker in the country should get following the presidential assent to the minimum wage bill previously passed into law by the National Assembly in 2019
