Members of organised labour unions have begun mobilising workers towards the May 13 protest scheduled to commence in Lagos State.
Labour unions last week, threatened to mount pressure on government for a new minimum wage, full implementation of recommendations of the electoral reforms, resist the policy of deregulation and privatisation of the oil industry among others.
The protest march is the outcome of the plan of action adopted by national leadership of the Lagos State Planning Committeee of the Labour and Civil Society Coalition (LASCO), under the joint leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) President Abdulwahed Omar, President-General, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Peter Esele and Chairperson of Joint Action Forum (JAF), Dipo Fashina.
Also yesterday, the Federal Government yielded to pressure mounted by organised labour, to consider its demand to improve workers’ pay package, by raising the minimum wage to N52,000.
Minister of Labour and Productivity, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, while speaking at a pre-event media briefing on the 10th National Productivity Day and conferment of merit awards to deserving Nigerians, said government had approved the setting up of a committee to consider the issue.
He said, “the committee on minimum wage is to be set up on Monday. The committee is to handle issues relating to the demand for a new minimum wage,” adding that the committee on minimum wage will serve as a sub-committee of the existing standing committee between government and labour, which is empowered to deal with issues relating to agitations by workers for better work conditions.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, one of the leaders of the unions, Comrade Syvester Ejiofoh, who is also General Secretary, Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees, called on all Nigerians to support and participate actively in the rallies and other activities, to protest the anti-labour policies of the present administration.
The protest, he said would sstart from the National Stadium, Surulere, and move through Ikorodu to Maryland/Ikeja, before terminating at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa.