Lawmaker behind controversial minimum wage bill speaks, reveals what protesting labour leaders should do
- Garba Datti, a federal lawmaker, has reacted to the threat by Nigerian labour leaders to embark on strike
- The labour leaders had threatened industrial action over a bill sponsored by Datti which seeks to decentralize minimum wage
- In his reaction, Datti asked the lawmakers not to go on strike but table their aggrievances with the bill during the public hearing
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Garba Datti, a member of the House of Representatives, has reacted to the threat by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to embark on a nationwide strike over the controversial minimum wage sponsored by the lawmaker.
Datti who is representing Sabon Gari federal constituency of Kaduna state is sponsoring a bill that seeks to remove the powers to negotiate the minimum wage from the federal government.
The bill which has passed its second reading in the lower legislative chamber has been strongly rejected by the labour leaders, threatening to embark on industrial action if the bill is not discarded.
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However, reacting to the NLC's threat, Datti told Channels TV on Thursday, March 11, that he was glad that the bill has stirred a national discussion regarding the welfare of Nigerian workers.
Nevertheless, the lawmaker urged the labour leaders to not embark on strike but consider dialogue as a suitable way of resolving any issue they have regarding the bill.
He advised the NLC can attend to make their case at the National Assembly’s public hearing of the bill.
The lawmaker argued that what the federal government has decided to pay workers is a remuneration that most states cannot pay and as such, there is a need for devolution.
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Earlier, Legit.ng reported that protesters on Wednesday, March 10, overwhelmed security and made their way into National Assembly premises to register their grievances regarding the minimum wage bill.
Addressing the protesters, House leader, Alhassan Doguwa assured them that the controversial bill will be killed since labour unions are not in support of it.
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Nurudeen Lawal is a Legit.ng journalist passionate about fact-checking/verification journalism. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature-in-English from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. As Politics Editor, Nurudeen mostly writes on Nigeria’s political and socio-economic developments. He has attended different workshops, conferences and training on fact-checking and digital reporting, among others. Learn more about him on Twitter, @Nurudeen Lawal_
Source: Legit.ng
