Minimum wage: We’re losing patience, NLC warns FG

The Nigeria Labour Congress on Sunday described the Federal
Government’s silence on the N30,000 minimum wage proposal as
provocative, stressing that it expected President Muhammadu Buhari
to have sent a draft bill to the National Assembly weeks after
report on the minimum wage was submitted to him., Punch reports

Organised labour said it would not wait till eternity for the
government on the issue.

In an interview with one of our correspondents, the General
Secretary of the NLC, Mr Peter Ozo-Eson, said members of the union
were becoming restless with the way the government had handled the
issue, adding that unless government acted fast, the union might
meet again to review government’s position and take necessary
action to press home its demand.

But he did not say when the leadership of the union would likely
meet.

Ozo-Eson said, “The latest about the issue of the minimum wage
is clear. We expect that since the Presidency had already received
our report, the President should have drafted an executive bill to
the National Assembly on it so that they can begin to legislate on
it.

“That has not been done even though we expect that it should
have been done already. We cannot continue to wait forever.

“The next step as I said is for the President to transmit a
draft bill to the National Assembly. The FG’s delay on the issue is
provocative, our members are becoming restless and the FG must act
fast on our report.

“If the delay continues, our next step will be made public after
we meet again to review the steps taken so far.”

Delay caused by disagreement – Presidency

However, lack of an agreement on the National Minimum Wage has
stalled the presentation of a bill to the National Assembly by
President Muhammadu Buhari, investigations by our reporter have
revealed.

Findings showed that up to Friday, there was still no agreement
on the proposed N30,000, a development further delaying the
presentation of a bill to the legislature by the President.

“There is still no agreement. There has to be an understanding
between all the parties before the bill can go successfully to the
National Assembly.

“This is one of the setbacks as we speak. But, when things are
sorted out, definitely, the bill will go to the National Assembly
and the passage should be smooth,” a presidential source told one
of our correspondents in Abuja.

Recall that on November 19, the President and representatives of
state governors had met in Abuja in a bid to resolve the
dispute.

It was gathered that the closed-door meeting, which took place
at the Presidential Villa, made little progress as the majority of
the governors reportedly insisted that they could not afford to pay
anything above N22,500.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Governor of
Zamfara State, Mr Abdulazeez Yari, led a team of governors to the
meeting to speak for the governors.

At the meeting, the governors were said to have stated that the
options were for them to either reduce their workforce or the
Federal Government would have to review the revenue sharing formula
to make more money available to the states.

Organised labour has since opposed any move to reduce the number
of workers and has maintained that workers would not accept any
amount below N30,000.

The source further informed The PUNCH that in the light of the
disagreement, a hasty presentation of a bill would not resolve the
dispute until all the parties reached “a certain level of
understanding first.”

The official explained, “You know that in the matter of a
National Minimum Wage, there are lots of procedures it has to go
through.

“For instance, it has to go through some institutions like the
Salaries and Wages Commission; National Council of State or
National Economic Council; then there are constitutional provisions
to be met.

“Again, since the minimum wage is for the states to pay, there
has to be an agreement with the states. It is only when there is an
agreement with the states that the President can make a proposal to
the National Assembly.”

He added, “At the stage we are, the question really is not
whether the President is ready with the bill, the question is, has
there been an agreement?”

When one of our correspondents sought the comments of the Senior
Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters
(Senate), Senator Ita Enang, on the matter, he merely said at any
time the bill was ready, the President would submit it to the
National Assembly.

“When the bill comes, it will be read on the floor. That is what
I know,” he replied.

When asked whether he was aware when it would be ready or there
was a particular figure the President and the governors had agreed
on, Enang responded, “I am not disposed to speak on a matter that I
have not seen.”

Governors yet to yield ground

Also, investigations revealed that the governors had yet to
shift their position to sack workers if they were to pay the amount
demanded by labour.

A governor, who was at the NGF meeting in Abuja on Wednesday,
November 14, where the governors said they would not be able to pay
the N30,000, confided in one of our correspondents on Sunday,
saying that nothing had changed.

He said the organised labour was asking for what he called
“impossibility,” saying the leadership of the union was aiming at
blackmailing the governors and President Buhari because of the
forthcoming elections.

He said, “Let me tell you. Nothing has changed. We have not
shifted from our position that we cannot pay more than N22,500.

“The fact is that labour leaders want to blackmail us because of
the elections. If we promise them that we will pay now, and
probably borrow to pay two or four months, what happens after
that?

“We should continue to borrow and how do we pay? It is better we
don’t succumb to the blackmail. We should rather sit with labour
and face the reality.”

Fulfil your promises, PDP tells FG

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party has urged the President
to fulfil its promise to workers.

It said the government must be ready to pay what it described as
a “living wage.”

The National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, who
spoke with one of our correspondents in Abuja on Sunday, however,
urged workers not to rush into strike over the issue of minimum
wage.

He said, “We want to ask the Federal Government to fulfil its
promises to workers.

“We know that we have a government that does not bother and it
is not worried about fulfilment of promises. However, we want to
appeal to the government to look at the workers and consider that
N18,000 is too small to take our workers home.

“I also want to appeal to the sensibilities of our workers not
to rush into taking decision on strike. They should explore all
means of communication and negotiations. We just want to beg them
to endure this government till February. Genuine change is coming
their way soonest.”

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