FG set to announce new minimum wage - NLC president

-With the assignment of the tripartite labour union completed, the federal government is now set to announce the new national minimum wage.

- This is the position of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday, October 8, in Abuja.

- Although the figure of the supposed upward review has not been disclosed, the NLC boss, Ayuba Wabba, said the announcement will be made very soon.

The federal government is set to announce the new minimum wage as the tripartite committee completes its assignment for onward submission to President Muhammadu Buhari. Ayuba Wabba, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) president, made this known while speaking with newsmen on Monday, October 8, in Abuja, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. “I want to assure workers that all has been concluded and will be passed for signing within the week. “I also want to appreciate the Organised Private Sector, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) for their resolve to pay the new minimum wage when it is signed into law,” he said.

The NLC president, however, refused to disclose the figure arrived at by the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage. Wabba said the presidency would make it public after deliberation by the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting. NAN reports that the organised labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the United Labour Congress (ULC), on Sunday, September 30, suspended its warning strike on a new minimum wage embarked upon on Wednesday, September 26.

The organised labour had embarked on the strike after a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government for failing to reconvene meeting to come out with its own figure on the new minimum wage. The three unions had demanded N65,500 as new minimum wage for workers, while the private employers and some state governors were proposing N25,000.

Earlier, it was reported that the federal government had said that it will soon address the agitation for the upward review of the national minimum wage in a manner that will make workers and all Nigerians smile. The disclosure was made by the secretary to the government of the federation, Boss Mustapha, on Sunday, October 7, at the 22nd choir anniversary of the Christ Apostolic Church, Living Water DCC Headquarters, Abuja.