Minimum Wage: FG Moves Against Labour’s Strike
- Meets NLC Thursday
BY EDMOND ODOK, ABUJA – Determined to stave-off the planned nation-wide strike by Organised Labour over the new national minimum wage, the Federal Government will today (Thursday) meet with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)’s leadership in Abuja to iron out their areas of differences
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said the meeting is meant to stop the industrial being contemplated by Labour over the Presidency non-transmission of the New National Minimum Wage Bill to the National Assembly.
A statement by Mr Samuel Olowookere, Director of Press in the Ministry in Abuja on Wednesday, said; “The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, is scheduled to hold a meeting with the Executives of the Organised Labour Union on Jan. 4, at the Minister’s Conference Room by 10:30 am prompt.”
Competent sources hinted that disturbed by the likely economic consequences of an NLC’s strike so early in an election year, the Presidency has given the Labour Minister marching orders to engage the Organised Labour and ensure the action slated to commence on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 is averted.
With the NLC’s National Executive Council (NEC) expressing frustration at the Federal Government’s delay in transmitting the Tripartite Committee’s report on N30,000 minimum wage to the National Assembly, the Labour Movement had issued an ultimatum before the start of the Yuletide period.
This followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement during his 2019 Budget presentation to NASS that government will set up a Technical Committee to further scrutinise the Tripartite Committee’s recommendations and propose avenues for funding the New Minimum wage.
The President was on that occasion quoted as saying; “high powered technical committee” would be instituted to recommend ways of implementing the new wage package without having to depend on increased borrowing going forward.
