The Nigerian government has finally set a date to send a new national minimum wage Bill to Parliament to avert yet another threatened strike over the issue.
With about a month to go until a presidential election, according to the Anadolu Agency, the government has now struck a deal with the country's trade unions for proposals recommending a 30,000 naira (US$98) minimum wage level. Labour Minister Chris Ngige said the government agreed to send the Bill by 23 January when Parliament reconvenes after the holiday break.
“The government will religiously implement all the processes that will enable us to transmit this bill within the stipulated time,” he said.
The national president of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, warned that while the unions may have agreed to a date, they would not tolerate any breaches.
“Our position is clear and, through our negotiation, they know very well that not yielding to the terms is going to spell a reaction not good for the industrial atmosphere of the country. We have it in good faith that they will honour their part of the bargain, he told Premium Times. “We will continue to sensitise our members that once it is 24th and nothing is done, we swing into action.”
The breakthrough came on the day that the unions and their civil society allies held nationwide protests demanding that the Minimum Wage Bill be sent to Parliament immediately. Labour leaders warned that the protests would be followed by a strike that could cripple the economy.
Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.
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The Nigerian government has finally set a date to send a new national minimum wage Bill to Parliament to avert yet another threatened strike over the issue.
With about a month to go until a presidential election, according to the Anadolu Agency, the government has now struck a deal with the country's trade unions for proposals recommending a 30,000 naira (US$98) minimum wage level. Labour Minister Chris Ngige said the government agreed to send the Bill by 23 January when Parliament reconvenes after the holiday break.
“The government will religiously implement all the processes that will enable us to transmit this bill within the stipulated time,” he said.
The national president of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, warned that while the unions may have agreed to a date, they would not tolerate any breaches.
“Our position is clear and, through our negotiation, they know very well that not yielding to the terms is going to spell a reaction not good for the industrial atmosphere of the country. We have it in good faith that they will honour their part of the bargain, he told Premium Times. “We will continue to sensitise our members that once it is 24th and nothing is done, we swing into action.”
The breakthrough came on the day that the unions and their civil society allies held nationwide protests demanding that the Minimum Wage Bill be sent to Parliament immediately. Labour leaders warned that the protests would be followed by a strike that could cripple the economy.
Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.
OTHER STORIES THAT MAY INTEREST YOU
Nigeria's national strike over minimum wage suspended
Biometric system cuts ghost workers numbers in Nigeria's Delta state
Lesotho sanctions huge 62% minimum wage hike for factory workers
