A veteran labour leader and Chairman of Radio and Television Workers Union (RATAWU) Kano state chapter ,Alhaji. Musa Muhammad has called on the leadership of both Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress(TUC) to jettisoned unnecessary power tussle and divide and rule.
They should rather team up to negotiate a reasonable minimum wage for the entire workers in the country.
Musa Muhammad made the assertion on Thursday, while addressing a press conference at the Kano state headquarters of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) .
According to him ” The entire workers in the country were having their greatest hope in the two Unions on the negotiations for a minimum wage, hence the need for the two blocs to team up and harmonise their demands in the interest of the Nigeria’s workers
” The entire general workers who gave them their mandate, by electing them as their respective leaders,did not elect them to fight for their personal and individual interests, but to see on how they can collectively pursue the course and general wellbeing of workers .
He reminded the two Umions to have it in mind that the workers in the country are passing through untold hardship as a result of the withdrawal of fuel subsidy which has caused a skyrocketed and high price of goods and services.
He then stressed the need for both of them to come out with reasonable minimum wage to cushion the negative effects of fuel subsidy removal .
He however hinted that the government decided in 2015 to create another organ of workers from the then NLC in an attempt to cause a divide and rule between the original NLC that were broken to two with the aim of satisfying their ego and caused disunity.
Alhaji. Muhammad further disclosed that the two organizations, should have it at the back of their minds that there is no different market for either the NLC or the TUC.
He stressed that the present suffering facing the entire workers has no tribal mark to differentiate specific organizations.
When asked as a veteran labour leader ,he is envisage as a minimum wage,Alhaji .Mohammad said, he cannot decide for the two blocs on what should be a minimum wage. But that is more reason ,he is calling on them.to harmonise their demand and came out with a reasonable amount as a minimum wage