The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other workers’ groups to sustain ongoing dialogue with Federal Government on improving workers’ salaries and welfare.
The party made the call in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abudulahi, on Monday in Abuja.
It said that Nigerian workers remained a key driver of the country’s multi-facet development.
The party felicitated with the workers on the International Workers Day celebration, and called on labour and trade unions to tread the path of dialogue in fighting for improved emolument for workers.
It stated that Nigerian workers unarguably remained one of the most dedicated, resilient and hardworking in the world.
It noted that in spite of challenges, particularly on the economy, Nigerian workers had stayed positive and had been partners in nation-building.
The party said that the workers had also contributed towards efforts to take the country to its deserved heights.
The International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day in some countries, is a celebration of labourers and the working class.
It is promoted by the International Labour Movement and is celebrated every year on May 1.
The day, usually declared as public holiday, was first promoted by the International Workers Association in 1904 to commemorate the killing of protesting labourers in Haymarket Square in Chicago, U.S., in 1886.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigerian labour movement under the aegis of the NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC), organise rally every year to celebrate the day.
The rally provides the platform for organised labour to demand for improved welfare for workers.
The demand for a new minimum wage is expected to feature prominently in speeches to be delivered by labour leaders across the country at this year’s celebration.
Negotiations between the Federal and state governments on the one hand and labour leaders on the other, on proposed new minimum wage of N66, 500 are currently ongoing. (NAN)
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