The federal government on Thursday declared that it would
not be able to meet the demand of organised labour vis-a-vis the percentage for
consequential adjustment of the N30,000 new minimum wage due to dwindling
revenue.
The government said it would appoint a new team to represent
it in the committee negotiating the consequential adjustment.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige,
who conveyed the government's position during a courtesy visit by the leadership of
the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said the federal government felt there was a
need for some home truth with regards to the poor state of the economy.
He said the federal government had decided to reconstitute
the team representing it in the committee negotiating the consequential
adjustment.
The minister 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."
While explaining the delay in concluding the committee's
assignment, Ngige said that the government's team was depleted due to the fact
that he and the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning had to
withdraw from the committee at the end of the last administration.
"The committee
was inaugurated in the office of the 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 May 29, 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," he said.
Negotiations on the implementation of the new minimum wage
had ended in a deadlock following the failure of the government team and the
leadership of the Joint National Public
Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) to agree on the percentage of
adjustment that will apply in the computation of the new wage for grade levels 7-17.
While the federal government had shifted ground from its earlier position of 9.5 per cent to
11 per cent for grade levels seven to 14 and 6.5 per cent
from 5.5 per cent for levels 15 to 17, representatives of
labour, however, insisted that government should adjust the salaries of workers
on grade levels 07 to 14 by 30 per cent and those on levels 15 to 17 by 25 per
cent.
Labour, however, stepped down to 29 per cent from 30 per
cent for grade levels 7 to 14 and 24 to 25 per cent for levels 15 to 17.
Ngige, who responded to the concern expressed by the
President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba over the delay in reaching a deal
with the unions, said that the present economic situation haf made it difficult
to accept the demand put up by labour.
However, Ngige who was flanked by his new minister of state
counterpart, Festus Keyamo, during the
visit, assured the workers that negotiations would be swift as soon as the new
government team is formed, adding that the ministry will not allow arrears to
pile up to the extent that such would constitute a burden for the federal and
state governments to pay.
Regarding the request by the NLC president that the ministry
should move to establish the national labour advisory council, Ngige said the
government would hold a convention to inaugurate the council later in the year
as soon funds were made available.
He also expressed governments' concern over the rising
unemployment situation in the country, describing it as highly worrisome.
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