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Don’t go on strike because of minimum wage bill, FG begs labour

The Federal Government has appealed to organised labour not to cripple activities in the country because of the minimum wage bill currently in the National Assembly.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, who made the appeal at the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) meeting on Tuesday in Owerri, Imo State, said he was throwing his weight behind what the Nigerian government stood for by adopting conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on the minimum wage.
He said: “Although the council has been inactive, the ministry in the spirit of tripartism has ensured and maintained a sound tripartite relationship with Social Partners.
“For example during the negotiation for the national minimum wage from 2017 to 2018, we used the tripartite plus composition of government, employers, employees and other interests – and for other interests, we made sure that it reflected the members of this council.
“That was why we got the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) involved in that negotiation and we called it tripartite plus. The Chairman of that Minimum Wage Committee, Ama Pepple came from outside as an experienced technocrat who had been the Head of Service of the Federation, Minister and Clerk of the National Assembly. We invited her to give that plus the effective ingredient that is needed, so also the state governments.
“Mr. President of NLC, you didn’t need to thank me for what I said about the minimum wage bill because I was reechoing what the Nigerian government stood for by adopting the ILO Convention 28, the Minimum Wage Fixing Machinery Convention of 1928 (No.26) and  the Minimum Wage Fixing Convention of 1970 (No131). From these conventions, the Minimum wage Act was signed in 1981. So, I am with you 100 percent but I don’t want you to go on strike on that.”

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