The Federal Government says that
the report and the recommendation of the Tripartite Committee on the new
National Minimum Wage(TCNMW) is not binding on what the new wage should be.
Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of
Labour and Employment, said on Friday in Abuja in a statement signed by Mrs
Rhoda Iliya, Assistant Director, Press in the ministry, that the report has no
final say.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
recalls that the tripartite committee had recommended N30,000 as a new minimum
wage to the Federal Government,
However, the Federal Government
had on Thursday sent an executive bill of N27,000 minimum wage to the National
Assembly after approval by the National Council of State.
NAN also reports that the
organised Labour had rejected the N27,000inimum Wage and pledged to engage the
National Assembly members.
Ngige said that various
misrepresentations had been given to the Press Briefing on the New National
Minimum Wage, held at Aso Villa on January 22, after the meeting of the
National Council of State.
He said that President Muhammadu
Buhari constituted the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum wage at the
expiration of the last national minimum wage Act, which was enacted in 2011.
He said that the committee’s
recommendation could be subjected to an upward review, saying that the
government respected the International Labour Organisation convention on the
issue.
According to him, the output from
the TCNMW was therefore never meant to be sacrosanct but to provide a guide for
the Federal Government to take final decision.
” The ILO Conventions on Minimum
Wage cited above succinctly stipulate that each member state shall be free to
decide the nature and form of the minimum wage fixing machinery, and methods to
be followed in its operation.
“The report of the committee
asked Mr President to note the figure of N30, 000 recommended by the TCNMW by
way of motion and not by consensus, and also to note the Federal Government’s
figure of N24, 000.
” Mr President considered the
report in full and looked at the differing statistics and figures presented
before he arrived at N27, 000 (as the new minimum wage).
” I must reiterate that the
output by the TCNMW was a recommendation and is not cast in stone but advisory
to Mr. President,” he said.
Ngige said that the new minimum
wage was for all categories of workers in public and private sectors.
According to him, those who are
opposed to it should go to the National Assembly to argue their case during
public hearing on the matter.
“The matter of a National Minimum
Wage is in the Exclusive Legislative List as item No. 34 of the Second Schedule
to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“It is therefore the executive
arm of government that has the responsibility to prescribe a new National
Minimum Wage and send to the National Assembly for legislative action.
“It is important therefore to ask
the different groups who have interest agreeing or disagreeing on the contents
of the bill already transmitted to NASS to get ready to make their views known
at the Public Hearing, “the minister said.
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