The federal government and organised labour are expected to meet again today in their continuation of effort to resolve the lingering minimum wage crisis and avert the proposed nationwide strike billed to commence tomorrow.
A similar meeting held on Friday, January 4, 2019 to address the issue was inconclusive and both agree to continue today
Labour had since commenced mobilisation of members and its civil society allies for what they said would be a long drawn nationwide industrial action to demand for the implementation of the N30,000 new minimum wage recommended by the Ama Pepple-led tripartite National Minimum Wage Committee.
Chris Ngige, minister of Labour and Employment during the meeting on Friday said that the high level Technical Committee announced by President Muhammadu Buhari would work on the fiscal issues to ensure sustainable payment of the N30,000 new national minimum wage.
Labour had insisted there was no need setting up a technical committee and urged the federal government to transmit a draft bill of the N30,000 recommended by the wage committee to the National Assembly.
But Ngige said the technical committee when constituted would also advise state governments who have been complaining and groaning under heavy wage bill on how they should source funds to meet the financial obligations arising from the new minimum wage.
According to Ngige, federal government and labour negotiating teams would meet again today by 5:00 pm to fine tune fiscal issues on the new national minimum wage.
“The meeting was not deadlock. We are making progress or we have made substantial progress in terms of the transmission of the national minimum wage bill,” the Minister explained.
When informed that the National Assembly was presently on recess and expected to resume on Wednesday, January 16, 2019, Ngige said: “Very good that’s the issue we are looking at, they (National Assembly) are on recess as you can see it is a new bill on the National Minimum Wage Act 2019.”
When asked about the hard stance of the state governors on the agreement reached during the tripartite committee meeting, Ngige said: “the issue of the national minimum wage is n the exclusive list,” as stipulated by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
He maintained that if Mr. President is not committed to the implementation of the new minimum wage, he would not have provided the resources for the tripartite committee which worked for one year.
“He (Buhari) is ready for it and received the report too. We are now working on the report. The report is in a raw form. It is the milling that we are doing. Now with labour discussing
“The high level technical committee is not a committee that to review the Minimum wage report. It is a committee that is economic. It is about budget and planning and advise federal government and even the state governments on sustainable implementation and how we can get the funds. Not a one and off thing not that we can pay in 2019 and cannot pay again. It will advise state governments that have been complaining and groaning under heavy wage bill on certain things they should do.
He also affirmed that the N160 billion provided in the 2019 budget proposal was not only for the new national minimum wage but also for the consequential advance movement that may occur,” Ngige said.
Ayuba Wabba, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) who confirmed that the Friday’s meeting was inconclusive, said the parties would meet today to resume negotiation, but added that labour would have no option but to begin action if the issue was not resolved in today’s meeting.
He noted that the “negotiation became necessary to get money into the pocket of Nigeria workers.
“The major issue is that we have been able to make a meaningful social dialogue though the process has not been concluded.”
Wabba maintained that the draft bill was part of the report transmitted to the President adding that what they tagged as fiscal issues are to be tidy up on Monday.
He added that the leaders of the trade unions during the meeting emphasised that they cannot guarantee industrial harmony if the demands are not met at the expiration of the deadline.
Recall that the organised labour had kicked against President Muhammadu Buhari’s plan to set up a high level technical committee that will deliberate on the modality of implementation of the new minimum wage.
JOSHUA BASSEY & KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
