NLC KICKS AS NCS APPROVES N27,000 AS MINIMUM WAGE

 

The National Council of State has approved N27,000 as the minimum wage for the country, just as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), vehemently rejected the new government approval.

The council approved the amount at its meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.

Following the Council’s approval, a minimum wage bill was expected to be sent to the National Assembly on Wednesday.

According to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, the Federal Government is topping the approved amount by N3,000 to make it N30,000 for its workers.

He said the states are at liberty to augment the new agreement as they deem fit. The amount approved by the Council of State is N3,000 short of the N30,000 that the Tripartite Committee on Review of National Minimum Wage recommended.

The committee, chaired by a former Head of Service of the Federation, Ms Ama Pepple, had submitted the report, which contained the recommended figure, to President Muhammadu Buhari on November 6, 2018, after many months of deliberations

But the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected the N27,000 new National Minimum Wage adopted by the National Council of State on Tuesday.

Peter Ozo-Eson, the NLC General Secretary, who made this known to newsmen in Abuja, stated that the council has no jurisdiction determining another amount after a Tripartite Committee has submitted its report.

“It is abysmal of government to be delaying the submission of an Executive Bill to the National Assembly and by wrongfully adopting N27,000 through the council of states,” he said.

Mr Ozo-Eson, however, said the NLC has called an emergency National Executive Council meeting for Friday to weigh on the deadline given to government within which to submit an executive bill to the National Assembly.

The NLC general scribe added that the federal government was only projecting a shutdown of the economy with its latest action.

“This is because workers should not be held responsible for any development after its NEC meeting on Friday,” he said

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