2 months ago
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The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Kwara State, Comrade Murtala Olayinka, has advised labour leaders across the country to avoid confrontation with their respective governors in their quest for the implementation of the new N70,000 minimum wage.
He suggested that labour leaders should pursue peaceful dialogue with their state governors to achieve their goals.
Speaking with reporters in Ilorin, on Monday, the Kwara State capital, Olayinka noted that adopting a combative stance towards the government would not secure the welfare of workers in the states.
“You can’t be fighting the government and expect to achieve your aims and objectives. Your sole responsibility is to ensure that the welfare of workers is maximally guaranteed,” he said.
Olayinka stressed that labour leaders could accomplish much more for workers through roundtable discussions with the government, adding, “The era of lamentation and confrontation is over in the nation’s organised labour.”
“It is not by banging chairs and tables that your voice will be heard and recognised as an effective labour leader. The labour system we are adopting today is one of using common sense and wisdom to manage the affairs of your members in the state. You need to engage in roundtable discussions, or else you will continue to lament, and the era of lamentation is over,” he added.
Olayinka urged labour leaders to ask questions of their state governors to gain a clearer understanding of the situation.
“You have to be part and parcel of the administration by asking questions to know the real situation of things.
Through dialogue, you can achieve a lot for your members,” he said.
He also encouraged his colleagues to support the development efforts of their respective state governors and to be agents of progress.
It should be recalled that the Kwara State Government has set up an 18-member committee comprising technocrats, labour leaders, and industry captains to work out the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage in the state.
