Mr Emmanuel Ugboaja, General-Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), made the appeal while fielding questions from journalists on Sunday in Lagos.

According to Ugboaja, any governor who refuses to pay the minimum wage should be impeached.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had said that the state governors would not pay beyond their individual capacities.

However, the NLC scribe said that there was no basis for the governors to complain about payment of the N30,000 minimum wage.

He said that they had the capacity to pay.

“It is criminal to say you cannot pay the new minimum wage.

“Some of these leaders ride in private jet, so they can pay,’’ Ugboaja said.

He said that the organised labour was in support of the return of the Labour Advisory Council, which would help to mediate between government and workers.

He urged the Federal Government to take actions against employers who would not pay the new wage.

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari signed the N30,000 minimum wage law on April 18.

After that, labour and the government debated heavily on the consequential adjustment on workers’ salaries.

On October 18, both parties agreed on 23.2 percentage increase for workers on grade level 07 and 20 per cent for those on grade level 08, while 19 per cent would be received by workers on grade level 09, sixteen per cent for those from levels 10 to 14 and 14 per cent for grade levels 15 to 17.

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The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that labour has resorted to the strike option, following an apparent inability of government and labour to find a way out of the minimum wage logjam.

The two parties have engaged in endless and often fruitless meetings, raising anxiety and frustrations among public sector workers, who have waited patiently over the months for the new wage.

Speaking in Abuja on Monday at the continuation of a conciliatory meeting, the Chief Arbiter and Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said the meeting was an opportunity for information sharing and an avenue to soften ground for a final meeting, slated for October 15.

He told the labour leaders to be open-minded in their dialogue so that both parties could get a way out of the minimum wage logjam.

Ngige said he believed that the meeting would bring an end to issues in contention, if both parties agreed and understood each other’s positions.

“If we don’t soften the ground, bullets will fly and at the end of the day; we will come back to the negotiating table. That is why we are doing this as a proactive measure.

“Part of my work is to ensure that there is a quiet industrial milieu.  The workforce brings out their full productivity and employers, businesses will not be disrupted. That is why we called you again.

“Tomorrow, we are going to do the mix grill meeting. That mix grill meeting tomorrow can be one hour meeting, it can be two hours or it can be 12 hours, depending on what we are able to achieve today.

“I appeal to everybody to show some understanding.

“We are going to discuss dispassionately.  Nothing will be hidden from anybody. The books of government, I talked about it before– when I mean books they are budgets– 2019/2020, we will make it bare.

“I have warned them and I have advised them that if they come they should be prepared to present their case, meaningfully and successfully.

“I will stay in the middle as an arbiter because that is what I am going to do in this instance.”

Also speaking, the Deputy President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Mr Amaechi Asugwuni, who spoke on behalf of organised labour, said that the meeting was called by the minister to share information with labour leaders.

He said that labour had made considerable shift on its demands from the earlier position on the consequential adjustment of the N30, 000 minimum wage.

“We all know the consequences of delay is never fruitful and as such organised labour has come here with open mind in ensuring that facts are facts, also the situations are already known to us.

“The economy is biting and as a matter of fact, we must assist the process at this time in ensuring that we close it earlier than needed so that we can avert the unforeseen.

“It is only when you don’t know where you are going that you will waste a lot of time doing nothing.

“The position of labour is very clear. It gives us the signpost of what we have asked for and where we are going. So, every delay, every action taken is toward that position and we know that you will do your best to get there.

“We believe that the Federal Government will do the needful because ours is a straight forward proposal.

“We have made our proposal to the FG before now and government is to respond. We believe that by tomorrow, we will get the FG’s feedback and know the next thing to do.

“Labour will not tolerate anything short of reasonable adjustment in the ongoing negotiation.

“The consequential adjustment is a matter of percentage which requires give and take principle. You state what you want but it depends on government to see sense in your demand.

“Labour has shifted beyond expectation. What government needs to do is to reciprocate by doing what is needful to appreciate the workers.

“We are talking about compensation, salary and legitimate compensation for work done. In as much as we believe in the consequential adjustment, it has to be reasonable, otherwise, people will feel neglected.

“Tuesday’s meeting is the benchmark for labour’s action but mobilisation continues. The meeting will tell us the way forward because anything can happen.”

On the mobilisation for strike, Asugwuni said that the meeting on October 15 would determine everything, noting that mobilisation was in top gear “for an industrial action from 17th October, 2019.”

NAN recalls that labour leaders are demanding 29 per cent salary increase for workers on salary grade level 07 to 14 and 24 per cent adjustment for officers on salary grade level 15 to 17.

But the Federal Government had presented a proposal of 11 per cent salary increase for officers on grade level 07 to14 and 6.5 per cent adjustment for workers on grade level 15 to 17.

On May 14, the Federal Government inaugurated the relativity and consequential adjustment committee, which in turn set up a technical sub-committee to work out a template for the adjustment of salaries of public service employees.

But government and labour have failed to reach an agreement over relativity and consequential adjustments for the implementation of the new wage more than six months after it was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a communiqué issued on October 7, labour warned that economic activities would be shut down from October 16, if the Federal Government failed to reconvene a meeting of the committee on consequential adjustments.

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JNPSNC General Secretary, Trade Union Side, Mr Alade Lawal, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the organised labour would decide on a next line of action towards the issue of the minimum wage, saying in due time, Nigerians would be informed.

“The meeting is deadlocked, we found out that the Federal Government officials are not serious about it at all, we are suspecting foul play or a hidden agenda somewhere.

“We have decided to report the development to our principals, including the Labour unions, Nigerians will be adequately briefed of our next line of action very shortly.”

Chairman of the Labour team, Mr Simon Anchaver, said labour negotiating team had also resolved to write to the Nigeria Labour congress and the trade union congress, TUC on their advice to consider an industrial action.

He said government’s foot-dragging was an invitation to industrial action, since workers are already engulfed in fear and agitations whether their accumulated arrears would be paid when talks are finally concluded.

The Head of Service, Winifred Oyo-Ita, chaired the meeting, and the acting Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, is the Secretary of the negotiating council.

It would be recalled that the new minimum wage bill was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in April.

However, deliberations continued as the issue of relativity/consequential adjustment of salaries still persisted.

The Federal Government had on May 14 inaugurated the Relativity/Consequential Adjustment Committee which in turn set up a Technical Sub-Committee to work out the template for the adjustment of salaries of Public Service Employees.

In a meeting between the government and labour last month (August), government proposed a 10 per cent increment for level seven to 14 and a 5.5 per cent increment for level 15 to 17.

Egbule, immediate past Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, had attributed the delay in the implementation of the “consequential adjustment” of the N30,000 new minimum wage to the unrealistic demands of labour unions.

Egbule explained that the current demand of the labour unions would raise the total wage bill too high and that was why government could not accept their proposed salary adjustments.

But labour turned down government’s offer, proposing 30 per cent increase for levels seven to 14 and 25 per cent for levels 15 to 17.

The JNPSNC declined the offer, saying that since the increase in wage from N18, 000 to N30, 000 was 66 per cent, they wanted 66 per cent increment across board for all workers.

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The Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa, disclosed while speaking with newsmen at the end of the forum’s meeting which ended in the early hours of Friday in Abuja.

Dickson said that the governors were ready to pay the new minimum wage in order to alleviate the plight of workers in PDP-controlled states.

He called on President Buhari to expedite the process for the commencement of the payment of the new minimum wage by sending a bill to the incoming ninth National Assembly to review the revenue sharing formula of the country.

That he said would enable them pay the salaries on time.

“We are very eager as PDP governors to implement and pay the 30,000 naira minimum wage that the federal government announced.

“We want to do so to alleviate the plight of the long suffering Nigeria workers who have been under-paid for long and the workers who are currently groaning in economic hardship as a result of what has gone wrong with the economy since the All Progressives Congress (APC) government took over.

“So, we call on the federal government to expedite the process of presenting a bill to that effect.

“Also we call for a review of the revenue sharing formula to accommodate a fresh Revenue Allocation Formula in the country,” he said.

Dickson also said that no PDP governor was involved in the alleged diversion of local government money, adding that PDP states “do not indulge in such reprehensible conducts.”

He called on the Federal Government to name the states involved in the act and the period covered.

“We dealt with the allegation of alleged diversion of local government funds by state governments and we condemned it in very strong term.

“We as governors on the platform of the PDP want to make it clear that no PDP governor is involved in this allegation of diverting local government funds for whatever purpose.

“In our case, the reverse is the case. It is the state governments that have been supporting and subsidizing funding for the local government.

“So we call on the federal government and agency in charge to name the state governments and tell us the date and the people who were in charged as the time when this diversion took place,” he said.

Dickson, on behalf of the opposition governors, expressed concern over the alleged politicisation of security apparatus by the federal government, especially in states not controlled by APC.

He said that such supported the growing call for the establishment of State Police as a response to the worsening security situation across the nation.

“We believe also that this is the reason for the wide spread insecurity.

“So we will take some of this issues up when we interact with the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, by tomorrow or whenever we see him,” he stated.

The forum condemned the shut down and suspension of the operating licence of DAAR Communications Plc by the National Broadcasting Commission, describing it as an act of intolerance and repression against the media.

“As you are aware DAAR Communications we understand has been closed down.

“Our position is that due process must be followed. If there are any allegation of infraction, then due processes of the law should take place.

“When you shut down news outlet, when you harass and intimidate journalists, then you are shutting down Nigerians from speaking their minds. And in democracy, freedom of expression is cardinal component.

“So we condemn what has taken place and we urge the federal government and its agency to forthwith, do what is right, that is reopen the company and follow the due process of the law,” Dickson said.

He called on all men of good conscience to condemn the act in what he described as a brazen act in defense of democracy.

Dickson congratulated the PDP over its impressive outing at the last general elections, as well as all PDP returning and new governors who emerged victorious in the last gubernatorial elections.

“We equally and specially congratulate all our out-gone governors who successfully and in golden colours concluded their second-term tenures in office.

“We congratulate all our National Assembly members both returning and incoming,” he added.

He also commended the judiciary for exhibiting uncommon courage and professionalism in the discharge of their responsibilities despite the difficult circumstances.

Source:  NAN

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Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, made the appeal in Abuja on Monday during a valedictory session organised for him and the Minister of State by staff of the ministry.

According to him, the new minimum wage is for the lowest of low, that is grade level one and because of that the government is now carrying out the consequential adjustments.

“So, I am appealing to the organised labour unions of workers to assist government, as the load is going to be too big.

“I want them to cooperate in order to get something good for those in the consequential adjustments level.

“I also want to plead with the Manufactures Association of Nigeria, MAN, and the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NECA, to get the private sector not to retrench as that is what President Muhammadu Buhari is afraid of – retrenchment.

“This government has never retrenched workers since we came and instead we have employed more.

“So we are pleading with the organised private sector not to retrench workers in a bid to adjust to the consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage,” he said.

He also appealed to labour unions to see reason with employers by ensuring industrial harmony in furtherance of the implementation of the new wage regime.

“I want to assure you that if you do not receive the minimum wage now, you are surely going to receive the arrears,” he added.

Ngige also said that the ministry had restored and forged industrial harmony through social dialogue in several sectors such as the economy, health, education, and petroleum.

He said that since 2015 the ministry had recorded 1,425 trade disputes and complaints.

According to him, 788 of the disputes had been completely resolved while 37 cases had been referred to the Industrial Arbitration Panel, just as 600 of them are still awaiting but at various stages of mediation and conciliation.

He, however, noted that in order to promote decent work and enforce labour standards for the safety and well-being of workers, the ministry conducted workers inspection on 10, 098 factories nationwide.

Ngige said that the exercise was in line with the provisions of the Factories Act 2004, and in conformity with the terms and conditions of employment meant to protect workers.

“We also issued a total of 426 fresh certificates of Factory Registration, renewing 3,718, and amending 37, and revoking 36 certificates.

“Meanwhile, the ministry has developed and published, for the first time in the history of Nigeria, a Nigerian National Profile on Occupational Safety and Health,” he said.

On the delay in the setting up of the National Labour Advisory Council, NLAC, Ngige said that attempts to create budget lines in 2017 and 2018 for the re-establishment of the council, which had not been alive in the past seven years, failed.

Ngige, however, said that recent efforts were successful as it was passed in the then yet to be signed 2019 budget.

“Even though we observed that our Executive funding proposal was slashed by more than 60 per cent making it look like it will be a failed project.

“It is our hope that our successor, the next Labour minister will resuscitate the body with this initial funding for the benefits of all in the tripartite as the existence of this Council will be enormously felt by both the social partners and Government.

“From the foregoing therefore, it is clear we have consistently been fighting to resuscitate this body which is a good establishment that will make for decent work agenda of the employer and employee in the world of work,” Ngige said.

He praised the management and staff of the ministry and the agencies under it for their support and cooperation.

He said that the support ensured the attainment of the modest achievements recorded.

Prof. Stephen Ocheni, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, commended President Buhari for the opportunity to serve.

“Today, as we celebrate the successful end of the first term of his administration, we must all acknowledge and appreciate Mr President for his visionary and purposeful leadership,” he said.

Source:  SAN

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An economic expert, Prof. Uche Uwaleke, said the new minimum wage would not lead to inflation contrary to speculations by some Nigerians.

Uwaleke, the Head of Banking and Finance, Nasarawa State University, Keffi said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

“I do not agree that it will lead to inflation and this is because our aggregate demand is still weak.

“Recall that the last economic recession was caused by weak aggregate demand when many state governments could not pay salaries due to reduced FAAC allocations from dwindling oil prices.

“The economy has been making a slow recovery since the exit from recession.

“So, the associated economic expansion from implementing the new minimum wage will be salutary for the economy having negligible impact on the general price level,’’ he said.

Uwaleke recalled that the monthly reports by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had shown that inflation in Nigeria, against the backdrop of low economic activities was more of the cost-push type than demand-pull.

This, he said, was driven more by high cost of fuel, electricity and transport.

He said that historical evidence does not also support the claim that the new minimum wage would worsen inflationary pressure.

“In 2011 for instance, when the minimum wage was increased from N7,500 to N18,000, inflation rate actually dropped from over 13 per cent the previous year to less than 11 per cent.

“So, with increased output and a focus on capital spending, inflation spike arising from this development becomes a non issue,’’ Uwaleke added.

A new National Minimum Wage Bill of N30,000 was passed by the National Assembly on January 29 and March 19 and was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 18.

Many economic experts have argued and are of the opinion that implementing the new minimum wage will lead to inflation in the country.

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The party said that it was too early for Mr. Makinde to renege on his electoral promises, admonishing him to focus on the art of governance and work towards fulfilling his electoral promises.

The Publicity Secretary of the party, Dr. AbdulAzeez Olatunde, while reacting to the statement credited to the governor-elect spokesman, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, warning APC not to twist the interview of Makinde in Abuja on the N30,000 minimum wage implementation.

He said that the governor-elect and his handlers were just trying to stave off criticism on his unpreparedness to govern Oyo State.

Dr Olatunde said: “Makinde said during his electoral campaign that Oyo workers deserved more than N30,000 as minimum wage. Now, he was quoted by the media in Abuja that he can’t pay the N30,000 minimum wage. We (APC) decided not to comment on Makinde’s electoral promise U-turn because we want electorate and the people of Oyo State to judge him while the party would not hesitate to provide the necessary constructive criticisms when the need arises.”

He said Makinde and Oyelade must have been hallucinating seeing the comment of APC on his electoral promise U-turn, urging that Makinde should be ready to face governance from May 29 instead of still acting like opposition.

Dr Olatunde said, “the people of Oyo State deserve the best and we hope Makinde’s PDP will try not to disappoint which is doubtful. It is too early for Makinde to be reprimanding others for his mistakes. APC was not the media that reported what Makinde said in Abuja. We expected Makinde to rather clear the air on his statement instead of blame shifting. We wish him the best in his endeavours but with a caution that it is too early to renege on his electoral promises.

“We want to urge him to tread softly on the issue of Hajj Operations. He should by now know that Pilgrimage is structured with timing for all participating pilgrims throughout the world. It is not just about Oyo State pilgrims. We appeal to him to stop displaying his naivety about governance and remind him that not everything especially pilgrimage is politicised,” Dr. Olatunde stressed.

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This is as it disclosed that the leadership of the union initiated the discussion with the Governor Abiola Ajimobi administration.

The party said that it was only an irresponsible state government that would disobey the directive of the president and as well turn down the request of its workforce.

It clarified that the Organised Labour in the State – the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress and Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC), Oyo State Council wrote a letter dated April 24, 2019 with reference nos NLC/TUC/JNC/OY/ADM/13 requesting for immediate implementation of the New National Minimum wage in Oyo State with effect from April 2019, salary.

Oyo APC Publicity Secretary, Dr. AbdulAzeez Olatunde, also said that media houses in the state, especially Fresh FM, should always follow the principles of ethical journalism by cross checking facts before broadcasting or going to press.

It noted that a Fresh FM analyst on Monday, during the newspaper review programme “Freshly Pressed” made a categorical statement to mislead the general public that the organized labour did not write a letter to the government and that the Ajimobi administration never paid salaries on the 25th or 26th of any month.

Dr. Olatunde said that the continuous display of unprofessional conduct of Fresh FM is unbecoming and indecorous of any credible news medium.

It appealed to the media house to stop feeding the general public falsehood as the assertions of the analyst were patently false.

The APC Publicity Secretary stated that it was an unfortunate display of lack of understanding of governance for the governor-elect’s spokesperson, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, to insinuate that the administration of Governor Ajimobi would set a booby trap for the incoming administration, stressing that Mr. Oyelade was being haunted by the landmines set for the Governor Ajimobi administration by the government he (Oyelade) served between 2007 and 2011.

He said that the assumption of Mr. Oyelade and others was wrong, stating that the in-coming government was at liberty to discontinue the discussion after its assumption of office as the present administration had not agreed with the labour on the modalities of implementing the new minimum wage.

Dr Olatunde revealed that in the jointly signed letter by Comrades Kofo Ogundeji, Secretary NLC, Mayowa Falegbe, Secretary TUC and Kolawole Eniola, JNC Vice Chairman to Governor Ajimobi, the Organised Labour had requested for implementation on the new minimum wage for the April 2019 salary and requested that the governor acknowledged their letter and that he should take quick action on their request.

He disclosed that the Organised Labour claimed that its resolution for the governor to put all machinery into action for the immediate implementation of the New National Minimum wage was made at its emergency meeting held on Tuesday, April 23, 2019.

He appealed to the incoming administration to stop crying wolf when there is none, emphasising that government was a continuum and no state government would disregard or ignore a bill assented to law by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria moreover when it was stipulated for immediate implementation.

According to him, “Governor Ajimobi has only acted responsibly towards the new law by the president of the country and the follow up request by the organized labour.

“The Governor’s high sense of fairness and politics without bitterness will not allow him to engage in setting booby traps. He recently demonstrated this with the unprecedented inauguration of the joint transition committee, which is the first in the history of the state. “We urge the in-coming government to stop crying wolf and prepare for the serious act of governance which is more tasking than rabble rousing.”

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The government made this known on Friday while congratulating the new officers of the labour union in the state.

The new officers are led by Comrade Titilola Sodo as Chairman.

According to a statement from the state’s Information Commissioner, Mr. Toye Arulogun, the Oyo State government commended the union for a peaceful transition from one leadership to another on the same day Governor Abiola Ajimobi inaugurated its transition committee to midwife the handing and taking over of  the reins of government in the state.

Arulogun disclosed that on negotiation, the government would be meeting labour on Monday to open up discussions on the modalities for implementing the new minimum wage as approved and signed by President Muhammad Buhari on April 18, 2019 for immediate implementation.

The commissioner commended the state chapter of the NLC for its cooperation with the government in the last eight years of the Abiola Ajimobi administration.

His words:  “The Oyo State Government is impressed with the hitch-free elections of the NLC and the peaceful leadership transition which is in tandem with the ideals of the Ajimobi administration on a day when the Governor of Oyo State, Sen. Abiola  Ajimobi inaugurated the joint transition committee comprising of top government officials and the nominees of the Governor – Elect.

“We commend the immediate past executive of the union led by Comrade Waheed Olojede for the cooperation and support given to the Governor Ajimobi administration. They appreciated government efforts in deploying 100% of the state’s Federal Allocation to pay workers’ salary which has helped in the regular payment of salaries despite the economic downturn in the country.

“We urge the new leadership of the union to replicate same understanding with the in-coming governor and his team as governance is a continuum. More importantly, it is significant that the Ajimobi administration has offset the seven months salaries backlog of state workers and will endeavour to pay May Salary before this administration leaves on May 28, 2019.”

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President Muhammadu Buhari signed the minimum wage bill into law to that effect at the State House, Abuja.

It would be recalled that the National Assembly passed the National Minimum Wage Bill, approving N30,000 minimum monthly wage for Federal and State workers and presented it to the president for assent.

After the presentation of the proposed wage to the National Council of State on January 22, it was passed to the National Assembly.

The Federal Executive Council also deliberated and approved the minimum wage and it was sent to the National Assembly for approval.

The approval was made by the Senate on March 19, 2019.

Senator Ita Enang who is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) spoke with State House correspondents on the matter.

“This makes it compulsory for all employers of labour in Nigeria to pay their workers the sum of N30,000 and this excludes persons who are employing less than 25 workers; persons who work in a ship which sail out of jurisdiction; persons who are in other kinds of regulated employments are excepted by the Act.

“It also gives the workers the right if you are compelled by any circumstance to accept salary that is less than 30,000 for you to sue your employers to recover the balance.

“It authorises the minister of labour and any person nominated by the minister of labour or any person designated by the minister of labour in any ministry, department or agency to on your behalf take action in your name against such employer to recover the balance of wages.

“It also ensures and mandates the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission and the minister of labour to be the chief and principal enforcers of the provisions of this law; and this law applies to all agencies and persons and bodies throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The effective date is April 18, 2019 as Mr President has assented to; it has been assented to and it takes effect today except  such other provision as are contained in the Act.”

He added that the enforcement and the right to start the implementation of the provisions commenced immediately including such steps that would be taken gradually under the provisions of the Act.

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