Minimum Wage: What FG told Organised Labour

The meeting between the Federal Government and the Organised Labour over the consequential adjustment arising from the new minimum wage was on Wednesday deadlocked as they could not reach an agreement.

This follows what seems like a sharp turn from Tuesday’s show of commitment from the government’s side negotiating with the organised labour.

The Daily Times reports that the meeting which was billed for 2.pm did not commence until 5pm on Wednesday, October 16 and agreement was yet to be reached as at press time (11pm).

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, in his opening speech before proceeding on a closed door meeting, had said “we will ensure that we dot the ‘I’ and cross the ‘T’.

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Recall that the Organised Labour under the umbrella of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) had said that they will not guarantee industrial harmony if the government fails to reach an agreement with Organised Labour as at close of work on Wednesday, October 16.

According to sources, the Federal Government had stepped up its proposal at Tuesday’s meeting from 11 per cent for workers on grade level 7-14 and 6.5 per cent for 15 -17 to 17 per cent for workers on level 7-9, 15 per cent for level 10-14 and 12 per cent for level 15-17.

However, labour also shifted grounds proposing 25 per cent for workers on level 7-14 and 20 per cent for workers on level 15-17 as against 29 per cent and 24 per cent initially proposed respectively.

Meanwhile, the United Labour Congress (ULC), had earlier pulled out of the proposed strike action.

The ULC President, Joe Ajaero, stated this in a statement sent to journalists on Tuesday afternoon.

He insisted that the industrial action was designed to fail, hence, its decision to pull out of such exercise in order not to whittle down the capacity of Nigerian workers and masses to earn the new minimum wage.

“We want to state that we will not be part of this attempt to whittle down the capacity of Nigerian workers and masses to earn the new minimum wage. It is a planned sabotage of our collective will and desire to see a new minimum wage and we shall not be part of it. Alienating critical national stakeholders who would have insisted in organizing an effective nation-wide strike is intended to achieve only one purpose – the failure of the strike,” said Ajaero.