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New Minimum Wage Talks Resume Today As Buhari Regime Considers Reconstituting Negotiation Team

September 27, 2019

We have never witnessed what we are seeing now. We urge the government to consult the data on previous exercises produced as a guide to arrive at figures that would be acceptable to the joint negotiation council.

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There is a likelihood that the President Muhammadu Buhari regime will reconstitute the committee on the consequential adjustment of wages in the civil service to reflect the new N30, 000 minimum wage.

Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, stated this Thursday in Abuja when a delegation of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) led by its President, Ayuba Wabba visited him.

“Before I came for this meeting, I tried to look for the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), because the logical thing for us to do since we have all agreed, is to reconstitute our own representation, the permanent secretaries have to hand over to us so that we can continue from wherever they stopped,” the labour minister said.

Meanwhile, Wabba, who said the Joint Council has informed the NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) of the deadlock, urged Ngige to intervene in resolving areas of disagreements.

The NLC boss said, “The minimum wage law, which started in 1981, affords us the historical empirical data on the processes that can help us sort out nutty issues very quickly so that Nigerian workers can begin to enjoy the new wage.

“The issue of consequential adjustment has always been resolved without much ado. We have never witnessed what we are seeing now. We urge the government to consult the data on previous exercises produced as a guide to arrive at figures that would be acceptable to the joint negotiation council.

“I am aware that the committee is meeting today to try to arrive at a conclusion. I am also aware that the new minimum wage has been effected for levels one to six. But these grade levels are the minority in the public service and therefore, there is the need to ensure that other cadres of service also enjoy the increment."