ABUJA MARCH 9, 2017 – Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the Federal Government of engaging in unnecessary delay in constituting a tripartite committee to negotiate the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
Mr Ayuba Wabba, NLC President made the accusation at the 4th NLC National Gender Conference and Election of the Leadership of National Women Commission on Wednesday in Abuja.
The 4th Delegates Conference has as its theme “Consolidating the Gains of Gender Mainstreaming in the Trade Unions.”
Ayuba said: “The current administration is dragging its feet in constituting a tripartite committee to negotiate a new minimum wage.
“ Against the background of the harsh economic times and the impact on the working people, we cannot wait indefinitely for government to respond at its own time.
“ Though, we have been told by the administration that the panel will be constituted, we enjoin the government to urgently sort out whatever constraint it is facing.”
“Federal Government must act on the matter before we are forced to take actions that may be unpleasant.”
He said that the labour had submitted a request for an upward review of the National Minimum Wage which was signed into law in 2011 by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Wabba said that the present administration , in spite the fact that the minimum wage was due for renegotiation after 5 years , had yet to constitute the committee.
The NLC president said that it was no longer news that the country was in severe recession and prices of virtually all consumable and non-consumable items had increased.
“In the last 12 or more months , the inflationary trend in the economy has gone over the roof, and the mass of our people, the salaried and the teeming millions of the unemployed are facing very difficult times.
