Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria Imo State chapter, Revd Eches Divine Eches has called on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to call off the strike, saying it will cripple the economy.
Dr Eches made the call in a statement made available to Leadership on Sunday.
According to him, no organisation, including the private sector, can afford to pay workers N494,000, saying it is impossible.
Eches said “Joe Ajaero, the NLC President, is from my state, Imo. Can Mr Ajaero honestly say that Imo or any other state government in the southeast can pay a minimum wage of N494,000 without collapsing?
“I wish to appeal to NLC leadership and the federal government to return to dialogue with an open and honest mind to avert any damage to our fragile economy”, the CAN Chairman said.
Eches, who also serves as the chairman of the TEKAN/ECWA fellowship (bloc) in the southeast, argued that what NLC was seeking was nonexistent.
“Does Mr. Ajaero want the federal government to push for a new minimum wage law that is unenforceable by all tiers of government and the organised private sector?
He wants the minimum wage to increase by 1500%. Has Nigeria’s revenue expanded by 1500%? Does he want us to suffer Venezuelan and Zimbabwean hyperinflation?” Eches asked.
According to him, the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, had issued more strike notices than four past union presidents.
He said, “Mr. Ajaero has called more strikes than the last four Presidents of the Nigerian Labour Congress combined. Something is wrong somewhere. If we fight for workers, let us fight with love for the country and mature reasoning. Any wrong fight could sabotage the economy and make things worse for the workers and the nation.
“Even the organised private sector cannot pay that amount, and it has publicly aligned with the government to say, ‘ Let’s start somewhere and grow steadily. ‘
Does Joe Ajaero want to collapse the Nigerian economy? If not, why is he making impossible demands? Even his friends know that owned businesses cannot and have never paid any of their staff N400,000. What will a national strike achieve if not national strife?” the CAN chairman argued.
