Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has allayed fears of members of the organized labour resuming strike over the national minimum wage implementation.
He said government was not unmindful of the workers constraints hence will leave the window for negotiations open.
Recall that Labour had on Thursday, issued a December 31 deadline to the Federal Government to send a draft bill on the new national minimum wage to the National Assembly for passage into law to avoid a nationwide strike in the new year.
Leaders of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, and United Labour Congress of Nigeria, ULC, met in Lagos, where they also rejected the Federal Government’s plan to set up another high-powered Technical Committee on the new minimum wage, describing it as “diversionary and delay tactics.”
Lai said, “The Nigeria Labour Congress is a very patriotic union and I am very confident that they will not do anything that will embarrass the government or do anything that is going to worsen the situation. Continuous engagement I think is the key, we continue to engage them and I think they do also fully understand what the challenges are. And both parties are determined to ensure that a common ground is arriving at which will be comfortable for all”.
While wishing Nigerians merry Christmas celebrations, Lai said most of the promises made by the Muhammadu Buhari administration has been met.
He said there are more prospects for the dividends of democracy as the year rolls by.
“I wish everybody merry Christmas and as a government, we are happy that we have been able to meet all our promises, all our obligations to Nigerians. And as the year rolls out, we are more determined to even to deliver more to Nigerians. I wish to use this opportunity to wish everybody merry Christmas and a happy new year.
On the budget presentation to the National Assembly recently, the Minister said, “It is not the practice of the executive to be exchanging words with the legislative arm of government, they are independent, we are independent but to the best of our knowledge, we presented a budget given the circumstances of our resources this year, we feel that is the best we can. It is left for the National Assembly to consider it”
