Nigeria: RSV stands with worker’s rank and file to demand a minimum of 66 thousand living wage

 

Revolutionary Socialist Vanguard (Sympathizing Section of the RCIT), 18. October 2018 https://revolutionarysocialistvanguard.wordpress.com

 

 

 

*Nigerian Workers Should Not Settle For Another Slave Wage of #30,000*

 

*We Support their Demand for at least #66,000 as the National Minimum Wage*

 

*Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC)/United Labour Congress (ULC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) Leadership Must not betray their long Starved Members*

 

*RSV will show Solidarities to Workers via Press Conferences and Mass Actions to ensure their Demands are fully met by the FGN*

 

The Revolutionary Socialist Vanguard vehemently opposes to the new development between the leadership of NLC, ULC and TUC and the Federal Government of Nigeria that the new National Minimum Wage should be between #24000 and #30,000. It is highly ridiculous.

 

For us, it is very possible for the FGN to honourably meet the demand of workers for at least #66,000 for the National Minimum Wage when the politicians in the National Assembly smile to the bank every month to cash out #13.5m as running cost minus other outrageous allowances and salaries. It is so disrespectful and treacherous for the FGN to shift the blame or the cause of the inflation on the toiling workers when the politicians are sky high paid for doing nothing.

 

We openly condemn and reject such a criminal development.

 

We still maintain our position that paying Nigerian workers as good as #100,000 for Minimum Wage is never too much and cannot incite any inflation. The problem of inflation is connected to the outrageous allowances and salaries earmarked for politicians who do nothing plus the overwhelming looting of the resources via privatisation and corruption in the whole system through many inflated projects. This argument that increasing Minimum Wage will cause inflation seriously stabs logic in the head as put up by the (mis)economic team of the Buhari led Federal government that increasing the Minimum Wage to a reasonable height would cause inflation. There has been for years inflation in the economy due to wanton maladministration in governance even when workers are to be paid #18,000 and most states in the country do not even pay. So how does increment in it has caused inflation? This is a criminal argument. Workers who are toiling with their sweats and bloods deserve better pay and welfare. It’s the looting and corruption in the system that has plunged the economy into recession.

 

It is so obvious that the Buhari/APC led government is not stopping at creating hard lives for the working people in Nigeria. For the 16 years of PDP rule, workers witnessed massive economic hardships via various anti people policies such as subsidy removal, Privatization, Deregulation of Downstream sector, devaluation of currency and other austere policies i.e half salaries and non payment of salaries and other earned allowances to workers chain and enslave them. These same policies are being re-orchestrated by the Buhari/APC led government. It must be rejected outright!

 

The leadership of NLC, ULC, TUC must know that it is a betrayal of the interest of their members if they allow the Federal government to succeed with this open and massive manslaughter of their members with just another slave Wage. It is very germane they ensure that the #66,000 is met because there is already addition to the inflation created by the ruling class.

 

Accepting #24, 000 or #30,000 is an outright betrayal on the NLC, ULC and TUC and a poison to the workers. It should be understood that this is a struggle for the liberation of the working people as a whole.

 

Conclusively, RSV will not stop in showing our solidarity to the working people against all these anti people policies targeted at them just as they are currently doing to Nigerian Students and we will also ensure victory with the students over the numerous untold attacks on them.

 

For us, it is a united struggle of the masses that can ensure victories and save us from this economic terrorism of this capitalist ruling class in Nigeria. We shall always do this at the barricades with them. NLC, ULC, TUC should begin to engage in massive press conferences and declare a day of mass actions where RSV and other civil society organizations will be there to ensure this important demand are conceded to by the Federal government of Nigeria.

 

For the victory of the working class all over the world!

 

Signed:

 

National Secretariat

 

Revolutionvanguard17@gmail.com