Minimum Wage: Labour has Exhibited Enough Patience, Civility —MHWUN President
The President of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Comrade Josiah Biobelemoye has said that the organized labour has exhibited the highest level of civility, patience and respect for due process in the quest for the legitimate national minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
He also declared that the demand for an increase in the minimum wage and the nationwide strike declared by labour to achieve it were justified by all economic indices.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, Comrade Biobelemoye said: “Permit us to restate at this juncture that the justification for a new minimum wage cannot be overemphasized, while all the indices that justify wage increase have either been introduced by the government or market driven forces have propelled their emergence.
“Under this administration, the pump price of petroleum products have been increased, the currency has been devalued with consequential effects on workers and citizenry. We have unbearable electricity tariffs, punitive exchange rate and hyper inflation, all of which have led to a rising cost of living for workers and other Nigerians.“Sadly too, we are yet to feel the effects of government’s promise to mitigate these hardships even with the setting up of a palliatives committee to fashion out mitigatory strategy, policies and programmes to cushion the vagaries of its policies.”
He said the disregard by the present government for collective bargaining agreement reached with workers has earned it the toga of an administration that has no regard for the welfare of workers.
He made reference to the crisis in the health sector and how the government has till today failed to respect all the agreements reached with the health workers.
By: Soji-Eze Fagbemi
Tribune News
