Senate President, David Mark
The Nigeria Union of Teachers has kicked against the decision of the National Assembly to move workers’ minimum wage from the Exclusive to the Concurrent List, without doing the same to that of political office holders.
The union described the action of the lawmakers as double standards.
By not placing the salaries of political office holders on the Concurrent List, the NUT said, the National Assembly Committee on Constitutional Amendment had only served the interest of the political class and ignored that of the common man.
In a statement on Thursday in Abuja by the NUT President, Michael Olukoya, and Secretary-General, Obong Obong, respectively, the union said the position of the committee on the minimum wage was “another calculated attempt to cause an avoidable industrial crisis in the polity.”
The union, which also frowned on the planned autonomy of local governments, added that it did not consider the funding and management of primary education in the country, considering the lean financial ability of the councils.
It said, “We wish to express in strong terms the resentment of Nigerian teachers on the position of the National Assembly Committee on Constitutional Amendment, granting autonomy to local governments without factoring in the position of the NUT on which arm of government is responsible for funding and management of primary education in Nigeria. Again, the financial allocation to each local government as it stands today cannot sufficiently fund primary education and other demands of such councils.
“Much as the NUT is not opposed to the autonomy of local governments, the resolve of the Nigerian teachers not to once again have the payment of their salaries and management of primary education left in the hands of the authorities of local government councils remain unchanged.”
The teachers, which argued that salaries of political office holders, as fixed by the National Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, did not factor the financial strength of the particular state of political office-holders, noted that it was hypocritical to remove the wage of public servants from the exclusive legislative list.
The union added, “The deregulation of the wage of the public servants with regulation of the perquisite of political office holders is unthinkable and amounts to double standards; It is self-serving and will therefore be rejected by the working class in all democratic tradition.”
It noted that legislations and executive policies were to serve the interest of the greater majority, but regretted that in the constitutional amendment exercise, the National Assembly only served the interest of the political class.
According to the union, the essence of constitutional amendment is to right the wrongs and address matters of injustice and not to cause further disaffection, dislocation and avoidable chaos in the system.
The union described the action of the lawmakers as double standards.
By not placing the salaries of political office holders on the Concurrent List, the NUT said, the National Assembly Committee on Constitutional Amendment had only served the interest of the political class and ignored that of the common man.
In a statement on Thursday in Abuja by the NUT President, Michael Olukoya, and Secretary-General, Obong Obong, respectively, the union said the position of the committee on the minimum wage was “another calculated attempt to cause an avoidable industrial crisis in the polity.”
The union, which also frowned on the planned autonomy of local governments, added that it did not consider the funding and management of primary education in the country, considering the lean financial ability of the councils.
It said, “We wish to express in strong terms the resentment of Nigerian teachers on the position of the National Assembly Committee on Constitutional Amendment, granting autonomy to local governments without factoring in the position of the NUT on which arm of government is responsible for funding and management of primary education in Nigeria. Again, the financial allocation to each local government as it stands today cannot sufficiently fund primary education and other demands of such councils.
“Much as the NUT is not opposed to the autonomy of local governments, the resolve of the Nigerian teachers not to once again have the payment of their salaries and management of primary education left in the hands of the authorities of local government councils remain unchanged.”
The teachers, which argued that salaries of political office holders, as fixed by the National Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, did not factor the financial strength of the particular state of political office-holders, noted that it was hypocritical to remove the wage of public servants from the exclusive legislative list.
The union added, “The deregulation of the wage of the public servants with regulation of the perquisite of political office holders is unthinkable and amounts to double standards; It is self-serving and will therefore be rejected by the working class in all democratic tradition.”
It noted that legislations and executive policies were to serve the interest of the greater majority, but regretted that in the constitutional amendment exercise, the National Assembly only served the interest of the political class.
According to the union, the essence of constitutional amendment is to right the wrongs and address matters of injustice and not to cause further disaffection, dislocation and avoidable chaos in the system.
No comments:
Post a Comment