By; PETER NOSAKHARE, Kaduna
Government in Nigeria has been advised to stop trying to provide workers in the country minimum wages and rather give them survival wages that can adequately take care of 80 percent of their needs and also provide them job security.
This was the ascertain the Chairman of the Kaduna Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Ayuba Suleiman at the celebration of this year’s “International Decent Work Day with theme: Just Jobs,” held at the Nigeria Union of Teachers House, Kaduna on Wednesday.
Comrade Suleiman said the N30,000 minimum wage as paid by government was grossly inadequate judging by the present economic realities in the country.
“How do you expect a worker to survive on N30,000; pay School fess, house bills and feed his/her family with such meager pay”.
He averred that workers in the country have no job Security as in the case of Kaduna where workers are sacked anytime the governor feels like.
“How can you justify the sacking of 300 workers of the Kaduna State Water Corporation (KADSWAC) citing lack of proper qualifications. These are workers some of whom have spent over twenty years in the organization. Couldn’t he have had them retrained because of their years of service and their families,”. he queried.
At the round table discussions, Dr Tukur Abdulkadir a lecturer at the Kaduna State University (KASU) enjoined workers to support the efforts of NLC as it is the last resort of every worker in the country.
“Every worker must stand behind NLC. Workers purpose/aspirations can only be achieved if NLC is supported by workers themselves. There must be Unity of purpose”, he advised.
