The Nigeria Labour Congress has appealed to the National Assembly not to remove the national minimum wage from the Exclusive List.
Uchenna Ekwe, the Head of International Relations Department, Liaison to National Assembly, NLC, made the appeal on Tuesday during the public hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on 1999 Constitution Review holding in Enugu.
He said that allowing the issue of the minimum wage in the Federal Government’s Exclusive List is part of democratic processes.
Ekwe noted that those canvassing for its removal are ignorant of the International Labour Organisation laws and are making a grave mistake.
He said: “The laws allow issues of national minimum wages be maintained by the Federal Government.
“That is why when Governor Yahaya Bello dissolved NLC in Kogi State, ILO queried the Federal Government and not the state because they see minimum wage issues as a national issue.
“In America also, President Joe Biden has announced the review of the minimum wage because it is a national issue.”
Ekwe also urged the National Assembly to grant proper autonomy to local governments in the country, saying it is the only the local government that is nearer to the people.
He urged them to throw away bills seeking the removal of local government as the third tier of government.