The Federal Government has said that the national minimum wage bill will be transmitted to the National Assembly on or before January 23.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said this while speaking with newsmen after a closed-door meeting with the leadership of organised labour on Tuesday in Abuja.
Mr Ngige said that the Federal Government and the organised labour had signed a Memorandum of Understanding that on or before January 23, the bill would be sent to the National Assembly.
“On the part of government, we are going to try to religiously implement all the processes that will enable us to transmit this bill within the stipulated time.
“We have a target time of January 23, and we hope that all things being equal, the executive will be able to do so.
“We will take on the statutory meetings of the Federal Executive Council, National Economic Council and the National Council of States to enable us to transmit the bill on the new national minimum wage,” Ngige said.
The minister, while commending labour for its cooperation and understanding, called for the withdrawal of the threat of an industrial action, saying that it was no longer necessary.
Also speaking with newsmen, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Ayuba Wabba, agreed with the minister’s statement.
“We have agreed that the agreement reached should be documented and it should be signed by government representatives and organised labour; we thought that is a more firm commitment,” Mr Wabba said.
He also noted that the NASS would resume from their recess on January 16 and that since the legislators were desirous of ensuring that Nigerian workers earned decent wage, they would also do the needful.
