Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment on Friday disclosed that the high level Technical Committee announced by President Muhammadu Buhari is to work on the fiscal issues to ensure sustainable payment of the N30,000 new national minimum wage.
The committee when constituted will also advise State Governments who have been complaining and groaning under heavy wage bill on certain things they should to source funds to meet the financial obligations arising from the new minimum wage.
According to Ngige, Federal Government and Organised labour negotiating teams are to meet on Monday by 5pm to fine tune fiscal issues on the new national minimum wage.
“The meeting was not deadlock. We are making progress or we have made substantial progress in terms of the transmission of the national minimum wage bill,” the Minister explained.
When informed that the National Assembly is presently on recess and expected to resume on Wednesday, 16th January, 2019, Ngige said: “Very good that’s the issue we are looking at, they (National Assembly) are on recess as you can see it is a new bill on the National Minimum Wage Act 2019.”
When asked about the hard stance of the State Governors on the agreement reached during the Tripartite committee meeting, Ngige said: “the issue of the national minimum wage is n the exclusive list,” as stipulated by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
He maintained that if Mr. President is not committed to the implementation of the new minimum wage, he would not have provided the resources for the Tripartite Committee which worked for one year.
“He (Buhari) is ready for it and received the report too. We are now working on the report. The report is in a raw form. It is the milling that we are doing. Now with labour discussing
“The high level technical committee is not a committee that to review the Minimum wage report. It is a committee that is economic. It is about budget and planning and advise Federal Government and even the State Governments on sustainable implementation and how we can get the funds. Not a one and off thing not that we can pay in 2019 and cannot pay again. It will advise state governments that have been complaining and groaning under heavy wage bill on certain things they should do.
He also affirmed that the N160 billion provided in the 2019 budget proposal was not only for the new national minimum wage but also for the consequential advance movement that may occur,” Ngige said.
Speaking earlier, Ayuba Wabba, NLC President acknowledged that the meeting was inconclusive and that the parties unanimously agreed to adjourn till Monday by 5pm to resume negotiation.
He noted that the “negotiation became necessary to get money into the pocket of Nigeria workers.
“The major issue is that we have been able to make a meaningful social dialogue though the process has not been concluded.”
Wabba maintained that the draft bill was part of the report transmitted to the President adding that what they tagged as fiscal issues are to be tidy up on Monday.
He added that the leaders of the Trade Unions during the meeting emphasised that they cannot guarantee industrial harmony if the demands are not met at the expiration of the deadline.
BusinessDay had earlier reported that the conciliatory meeting between Federal Government and leadership of Organised labour was inconclusive.
The meeting which started at about 12:30pm was adjourned till 4.30pm to enable Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment attend at meeting held at the State House.
Also present at the meeting are: Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance; Udoma Udo Udoma, Minister of Budget and National Planning; Ayuba Wabba, President Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC); Boiboi Kaigama, President, Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other members of the National Executive Council of the two labour centres.
However, there was no delegation from the Joe Ajaero-led United Labour Congress (ULC) at the meeting.
The meeting was aimed at pacifying the organised labour to shelve the proposed nationwide strike scheduled for Tuesday, 8th January, 2019 to press for the transmission of the New National Minimum Wage bill to the National Assembly.
Recall that the organised labour had kicked against President Muhammadu Buhari’s plan to set up a high level technical committee that will deliberate on the modality of implementation of the new minimum wage.
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
