Organised labour, NASS to meet over minimum wage Tuesday – Ado-Doguwa

THE leadership of the National Assembly has hinted at the possibility of meeting labour leaders over a bill seeking to remove the minimum wage negotiations from the exclusive legislative list.

The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, disclosed this yesterday while addressing workers, who marched to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja to protest the bill.

Ado-Doguwa made the disclosure following the Nationwide protest embarked on, yesterday,  by the organised labour, comprising the members of the Nigeria Labour Congress and its affiliate, Traders’ Union Congress, (TUC).

The workers trooped to the streets of capital cities across many states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to register their grievances against the bill.

As early as 9am on Wednesday,  about 2000 protesters had besieged the main entrance of the National Assembly.

Although security agents shut the gate and prevented them from entering, at 11am they overwhelmed the operatives and  forced  their way in.

After gaining access to the NASS complex, the labour leaders thereafter  presented their petition to the House and the Senate.

Copies of the petition were received by Ado-Doguwa, on behalf of  the Speaker; and the Deputy Chief Whip of  the Senate, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, who represented President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan.

But the House of Representatives Majority Leader, Ado-Doguwa, who addressed the workers, sued for peace. He said that the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, whom he noted was in Lagos, had fixed a meeting between the lawmakers and the unions for Tuesday.

Ado-Doguwa stated, “I want to assure you that the House of Representatives will give you a listening ear and fair-hearing. We will listen to your grievances. We will still invite you to come and engage with the relevant committee, of which I am a member; the constitution review committee.

“You will come and make your positions known formally; your positions will be heard at the committee level. And when we come to plenary, if we consider the bill, the members that are representing your constituencies will be on the ground that day to do justice to the bill.

“And I can understand:  the only justice to that bill is to kill it. (workers chorused ‘yes’). Is that your position? Is that what you want? Then, I will like to advise you: go ahead and lobby members that you elected. Tell them that you don’t want that bill, and the members will stand for you and make sure that the bill is killed.”