By Funso Alarape
Monday June 3, 2024
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A chieftain of the New Nigeria People’s Party, (NNPP), Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, has called on President Bola Tinubu to accede to the request of the labour leaders on the new minimum wage in the country and save the country from imminent collapse.
Ajadi, on Monday, said the demand of N494,000 minimum wage by the unions was not unconnected with the realities of today’s economy, adding that the sudden withdrawal of subsidy on petroleum products and the attendant increase of prices of foodstuffs and essential commodities had made the labour unions demands reasonable.
He advised that prolong strike might finally collapse the economy, calling on the president to agree with the unions.
Ajadi also warned against the use of threat against labour leaders, saying that that might aggravate “the already tense situation in the country.”
Recall that the Attorney General of the federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, had threatened that the labour
leaders might risk imprisonment, if they went ahead with the strike.
Fagbemi had said Section 18 of the Trade Disputes Act required a worker employed in any essential services to give their employer 15 days notice before ceasing provision of their services and that any who did not comply would be liable to a fine or imprisonment for six months.
Ajadi, however, advised the Federal Government that such threat was not in the interest of the nation.
“Government should not threaten the labour leaders with imprisonment or with any form of punishment at all.
“President Tinubu should personally dialogue with the labour leaders on the way forward. He should come to term with the reality on ground.
“The withdrawal of petroleum products subsidy and the non-regulation of food prices and prices of essential commodities have render naira to a low level.
“Even, the N494,000 being demanded by the Labour cannot sustain an average worker in a month.
“The Federal Government should come up with a holistic approach that will cushion the effect of high cost of living in the country,” he said.
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