Minimum Wage: NLC Threatens Strike …Oruge Denies Rift In Rivers

Nigerians may face another industrial labour action, soon if the National Assembly fails to rescind its earlier decision to remove the National Minimum Wage issue from the exclusive to concurrent list in the constitutional amendment.
The organized labour took this position at the end of a one-day National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress held in Abuja, Tuesday.
Briefing newsmen at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Conference hall, Port Harcourt Wednesday, the State Chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Chief Chris Oruge said the organized labour took the decision as part of measures to ensure that the National Assembly returns the issue of minimum wage to the exclusive list in the constitutional amendment embarked upon by the Federal legislators.
Oruge further stated that the labour has given the national lawmakers two weeks to reverse their decision or be ready to face mass protest by workers across the country.
According to him, the essence of the briefing was to intimate Rivers workers on the out come of the NEC meeting as well as  prepare their minds for  the forth coming mass protest over the removal of the National minimum Wage from the exclusive list to concurrent list by the National Assembly.
“We the members of the State Administrative  Committee of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), we are using this medium to inform our members on the decision taken by the National executive at the last NEC meeting. That the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has given the National Assembly two weeks to change their position of removing the minimum wage from its original position in the exclusive list to concurrent list”, he posited.
He said that if the National Assembly fails to change its decision on the proposed amendment, labour  will mobilize its members across the country to vote against their candidature in the forthcoming 2015 general elections.
The State NLC boss urged workers in the state to be ready to support labour in this move in other to enable labour achieve its motive even as he solicited for their maximum cooperations.
Meanwhile, the Administrative Working Committee of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Rivers State Council has denied any rift at the State Council.
The Chairman of NLC, Chief Chris Oruge accompanied by seven other members of the Council, said this at a press briefing organized by the Council held at the premises of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Choba in Port Harcourt, Wednesday.
Oruge said that there was no vacancy at the leadership of the NLC in the state which should have prompted any crisis or rift as purportedly reported in some quarters and described the purported crisis in the labour house as a desperate move by one of his Vice Chairmen, Adah Williams to clinch power by all means.
According to him, the State administrative working Committee has elected officers with three Vice Chairmen adding that the organized labour has a way of running its affairs when crisis or vacancy exist.
He explained that in the event of any vacancy in the Chairmanship position in the council, the three Vice Chairmen would go for election to determine who would succeed the Chairman.
He disclosed that the purported crisis was due to the forth coming election billed for next year adding that the national election for NLC would hold between 9-11th February, 2015.
Oruge called on the general public especially workers of the state to ignore such purported crisis in the labour as it was only geared to cause distraction among workers adding that the leadership of the State NLC was committed to workers welfare.
Also speaking, the State Auditor, NLC, Comr. Chukwu Emecheta described what happened at labour house last week as an assassination attempt on the State NLC Chairman and called on the State Police Command to speed up investigation on the matter in other to bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice.
Responding to the allegation via telephone interview the Vice Chairman Administration, State NLC, Comr. Adah Williams urged Oruge to stop deceiving the public adding that he has been suspended as the Chairman of the State NLC.
“Comrade Chris Oruge was suspended on 22nd October, 2014 during a SEC meeting chaired by him. There was a motion for his suspension moved by Comr. Temple Mofot, Construction union and seconded by the Auptre Chairman, Comr. Henry Orubo.
“The suspension was based on the a purported letter written by NUT suspending from office on financial embezzlement”, adding the SEC directed that until he clears himself from the allegation, the Vice Admin will continue to act.
Comr. Williams told Our Correspondent that the matter has been reported to the National executive too for further directive and ratification.
It would be recalled that the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Rivers State Council was last week engulfed in leadership crisis.

APC presidential aspirants, Gen Muhammadu Buhari (left), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (middle) and the party Chairman, Chief John Oyegun conferring at the APC Rivers Mega Rally in Port Harcourt, last Saturday