Details Of Labour, FG Meeting Over New Minimum Wage Emerge

The details of the meeting between the Federal Government with the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) over consequential adjustment for the implementation of the new minimum wage.

YaahooJournalist reports that the has Federal Government failed to reach an agreement with the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) over consequential adjustment for the implementation of the new minimum wage.

Winifred Oyo-Ita, the Head of Service and the acting Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, chaired the meeting, as the Secretary of the negotiating council.

YaahooJournalist that President Muhammadu Buhari had in April, this year, signed the new minimum wage bill into law but deliberations continued as the issue of relativity/consequential adjustment of salaries still persisted.

Alade Lawal, JNPSNC General Secretary, Trade Union, while speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after Monday’s meeting, said organised labour will decide on the next line of action towards the issue of the minimum wage.

According to him, “The meeting is deadlocked, we found out that the Federal Government officials are not serious about it at all, we are suspecting fowl play or a hidden agenda somewhere.

“We have decided to report the development to our principals, including the Labour unions, Nigerians will be adequately briefed of our next line of action very shortly.”

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Labour team, Simon Anchaver, said they have resolved to write to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on their advice to consider industrial action.

The Chairman of the Labour team stated that federal government reluctance to come to an agreement was an invitation for industrial action.

He noted that workers were already engulfed in fear and agitations on whether their accumulated arrears will be paid when talks are finally concluded.