The
Minister of Labour, Ngige appears to have dashed the hopes of workers
pushing for a minimum wage of N56,000 as he reiterates the
unavailability of funds.
Chris Ngige
New minimum wage talks may have been shifted until salary and
promotion arrears owed civil servants are cleared, it was learnt
yesterday.
Minister of Labour and Productivity Chris Ngige, Minister of
Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Budget Office Director-General Ben Akabueze
and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Comrade Ayuba Wabba met
yesterday with the leadership of the National Assembly to find ways of
clearing salary and promotion arrears of civil servants.
Also for discussion at the closed door meeting chaired by Senate
President Bukola Saraki was the issue of payment of transfer allowances
of workers and death benefits.
Ngige told reporters that they were at the National Assembly on the
invitation of ledership. He added that though some progress was made at
the meeting, all sides were to go back and come back tomorrow with
possible solution to the identified issues which is that “government does not have enough fund for now to tackle the issues”.
Ngige said: “We are here on the invitation of the National
Assembly, the joint committee on labour and employment and the meeting
is chaired by the Senate President.
“We are here to discuss issues relating to things that are meant for industrial harmony in the public sector.
“As you are aware, the labour federations have said the governors have not been treating them well.
“One of the cardinal issues of International Labour
Organisation (ILO) is to give our workers decent jobs and we decided to
discuss with them.
“We looked at the issues of salary arrears, promotion arrears,
death benefits, location expenses and transfer allowances, hotel
allowance, which overtime have accumulated and had run into billions
and this is what is owed to federal public servants and we started the
meeting today to find a solution.”
Asked why a new minimum wage was not top on the agenda, Wabba, who was almost walking away, described the process as “holistic”.
On labour’s demand, he said: “Labour has spoken with one voice.
We have made a formal demand, which you are aware. It is N56,000, there
is no need repeating it.”