We Can’t Meet Labour’s Demand on Minimum Wage, Says Ngige
Labour Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige Thursday said the federal government will not be able to pay organised labour’s demand on the percentage for consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage of N30,000.
Ngige who broke the news to labour leaders when they paid him a courtesy visit explained that this was due to the poor state of the nation’s economy.
He said the federal government will be appointing a new team which will represent it in the committee negotiating the consequential adjustment.
He said the Adjustment committee was depleted when the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning left the Committee during the last administration.
The minister told the labour leaders that it was time to tell the truth about the dwindling poor revenue which makes it impossible to pay the new wage.
He said, “Government is not averse to the consequential adjustment; what we are saying is that we should try for all parties to agree; that the economy is in the doldrums; that the economy has some troubles, and therefore, we have to cut our coat according to our cloth. That is the most important thing.”
“The committee was inaugurated in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), late April. But when the committee started work, I was a member; the finance minister was a member; budget and planning minister was a member, but our council died on 29th May, with the expiration of time. We were dissolved, the budget and planning minister didn’t come back; the permanent secretary took my place and started the negotiations.
“I do not want to say that they didn’t make progress; they made progress because at least, from levels one to six, they got something, and from the time we were coming back, we saw that they were making progress. Unfortunately, the head of service, the chair of that committee had to go on compulsory leave and it is not easy when some other person is going to act and move in.”
It would be recalled that there was a deadlock on negotiations for the implementation of the new minimum wage between the government team and the leadership of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) on the percentage of adjustment.
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