The organized labour in have given Federal Government 11 days ultimatum to kick start the process of implementation of the Tripartite Committee’s report on New National Minimum Wage or face industrial action.
The labour unions insist that they reject in its entirety the plan by the federal government to set up another high-powered Technical Committee on the new national minimum wage.
The ultimatum which is contained in a communiqué jointly signed by NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, TUC President, Bobboi Bala Kaigama and ULC President, Joe Ajaero at the end of national leadership meeting of organized labour in Nigeria held at ASSIBIFI National Secretariat on the National Minimum Wage, added that high-powered Technical Committee on the new national minimum wage is diversionary as well as a delay tactics.
According to the communiqué, “Consequently the meeting resolves as follows: That the Federal Government is expected to transmit the New National Minimum Wage Bill to the National Assembly on or before the 31st of December 2018.
“Organised Labour will not guarantee industrial Peace and harmony if after the 31st of December 2018; the Draft Bill is not transmitted to the National Assembly. This serves as a statutory notice for Organised Labour to recall our suspended Nation-wide Industrial action”.
While urging their members to be vigilant, the unions charged workers to campaign and vote against candidates and Political Parties that are not supportive of the implementation of the New National Minimum Wage, arguing that the National Minimum Wage Committee was both Technical and all-encompassing in its compositions.
“The Leadership of Organised Labour met and reviewed the process of implementation of the New National Minimum Wage and observed as follows: that almost two (2) months of the submission of the report of the National Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee’s report which included a Draft Bill, no Bill has been submitted to the National Assembly for passage into Law.
“That the Federal Government is planning to set up a high-powered Technical Committee which is alien to the Tripartite process and ILO conventions on National Minimum Wage setting mechanism”, the communiqué observed.
The unions concluded that the National Minimum Wage is not only for Public sector workers but for all workers, in Private and Public sector.
