By Victor      Ahiuma-Young
LAGOS — THE Federal Government is today, in Abuja, meeting with leaders of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and its Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC’s counterparts, to brief them on the efforts by government towards the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage.

The Federal Government through the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, few days ago said the long awaited draft bill to legalise the N18.000 new minimum wage recommended by retired Justice Alfa Begore-led Presidential Committee on Minimum Wage and recently approved by the National Council of State, has been completed.

Organised Labour recently sounded a note of warning to the Federal Government to expedite action on process of implementing the wage increase, saying it would no longer wait beyond necessary because workers have exhausted their patience over the issue.

It also informed that it would demand arrears for every month that the increase is not reflected on workers’ pay package.
Wogu who announced the completion of the draft bill in Lagos, said it was awaiting the reconvening of the National Assembly, explaining that today’s meeting with leaders of NLC and TUC was to brief them on the development.

According to him, “President Goodluck Jonathan, on assumption of office, gave approval for the increase in salary and emolument of all civil servants at the federal level in the country. And recently, the National Council of State, under his leadership,approved N18,000 national minimum wage, which will no doubt cushion the hardship being experienced by Nigerian workers.

“I can tell you that a draft bill on the new minimum wage has been completed. It is awaiting the reconvening of the National Assembly. We urged Labour to support the bill and play a role to ensure that the bill gets accelerated passage.”

We have fixed a meeting for January 12 to brief labour leaders to end all these speculations about the issue.”
President of NLC, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, in a New Year Message to Nigerian workers, expressed disgust over the delay by the government in completing the process towards the implementation of the new minimum wage agreed by the Presidential Committee after over two and years’ discussions, dialogues and meetings.

According to Comrade Omar: “It is sad that workers welfare continues to be neglected. Even when the Labour Movement out of patriotism and a desire for industrial peace agreed to a National Minimum Wage of N18, 000, government has failed to get this near starvation wage implemented. The primary duty of the Labour Movement in the New Year is to get the N18, 000 National Minimum Wage Bill passed, and implemented. We advise State and Federal governments to ensure the speedy implementation of the New Wage because the Labour Movement will be demanding arrears.

The NLC also calls on various organizations and personalities in the country who had prevailed on the Labour Movement in November to shelve its warning strike over the new wage to ask government to keep to its side of the bargain. Everything must be done in the new year to avert an avoidable general strike and industrial crisis over the Minimum Wage.”

Similarly, President_General of TUC, Comrade Peter Esele, in his New Year message, said: “ We appeal to National Assembly to ensure that the new minimum wage is passed into law within the first quarter of 2011 to avoid industrial crises which consequences may portend danger for the economy and 2011 general elections.”