Minimum wage-Nigeria - The Nigerian government has finally agreed to pay the monthly minimum wage of 18,000 naira (US$ 120) across board with effect from the month of August. Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, who read the communiqué at the end of the resumed talks between government and organized labour in Abuja Tuesday, assured that the Federal Government would comply fully with the National Minimum Wage Act as signed by President Goodluck Jonathan. He also restated Federal Government’s commitment to apply the relativity adjustment to all federal workers across board. According to Wogu, “Federal Government has agreed to comply with the national minimum wage Act of 2011. Federal Government, in line with the earlier agreement, has concluded the discussion with the two labour unions, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

'The detailed negotiation on relativity adjustment with respect to the implementation of the minimum wage has been sorted out and agreed upon. Modalities will be worked out by a joint committee and will be tabled before the national executive councils of the NLC and TUC.

“It is equally agreed that the implementation of the payment of what has been concluded upon today would begin August 2011. Equally agreed is that nobody will be victimized by government for whatever role they played in the negotiations, especially from the TUC and NLC. I think when they finish from their National Executive Council meeting they will communicate government on the outcome of such meeting.”

On his part, Peter Esele, the TUC President-General, who spoke with journalists after the parley, said the agreement would further be subjected to intense debate at both the NLC and TUC National Executive Councils.

Esele said that “we are going to put what federal government has signed on the table first. That is why we are taking it back to our principals so that there would be discussion around it and we can arrive at a decision. Each sector will negotiate with various organs of the union. If we are not satisfied or have any ill-feelings about it, we can just come here and say, they are not accepting it. There is a window around it that we want to take back to our principals to see if they accept the widow's mite.'

Deputy NLC president Promise Adewusi disclosed that the implementation would affect workers outside the civil service, including the Police and the Armed Forces.

Labour had threatened to go on strike over the non-payment of the minimum wage whose enabling law was signed by President Goolduck Jonathan in March.

Pana 03/08/2011