SDP backs Labour on N30,000 minimum wage

 
Ahead of the planned indefinite industrial action by the Organised Labour billed to commence today, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has said what Nigerian workers were demanding from the federal government is even inadequate.
 
The party’s national secretary, Alhaji Shehu Gabam, who stated this in an interview in Abuja explained that considering the high productivity rate of the Nigerian workers, there is enormous resources available in the country to pay them.
 
He, however, stated that there was a lot of leakages and wastes, saying that the Nigerian workers deserve more if the government at all levels cared.
 
The organised labour is threatening to embark on an indefinite industrial action from today in spite of a court order restraining the labour.
 
The labour is demanding implementation of N30, 000 as minimum wage, while the federal government offered to pay workers N24,000, the states agreed to pay N22,500.
 
Gabam said the state governments across the country and the Federal Government have no justification, whatsoever, not to reward the Nigerian workers handsomely for their service and huge sacrifice.
 
He said further that government could avert today’s strike action  which he described as avoidable, by simply dancing to the demand of the workers.
 
“It is an avoidable exercise, the government can avoid it because the workers are not asking for too much. If you look at the leakages and wastages of our resources, you will believe that the workers even earn more. They can mop up those resources and pay our civil servants adequately and elicit more productivity.
 
“There’s no justification to say that government cannot pay the workers 30,000 minimum wage per month, given the way and the manner the funds are being taken out of the country or wasted. It is something that nobody can defend,” Gabam said.
 
While challenging the governments to live up to the  responsibility of ensuring the welfare of  citizens, he remarked that the 30,000 being demanded by the workers was even too meagre compared to the level of productivity of Nigerian workers and the income that accrues to the country.
 
“In fact, they are being underpaid even if it is 30,000. The government should live up the expectation. They have taken an oath of service to improve the living standard of their people in various states so they can afford more than 30,000. I don’t think it is an excuse that they can’t afford N30,000,” the National Secretary said.
 
Lamenting that strike actions are often detrimental to the masses, the SDP National Secretary urged the state governors and the Federal Government to address the issue headlong to avoid its far-reaching consequences.
 
“The cost of living is very high so it is really an inhuman  act to a certain extent that somebody will work for a whole month and you can’t afford to pay him 30, 000 here in Nigeria where social service is almost nil”.
 
He  further challenged the government to justify the sincerity of its fight against corruption as he maintained that without adequate wage government will only be paying lip service to its anti-corruption war.