The Federal government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) will Friday hold another round of talks on how to break the logjam over the minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
Workers insistence on N30,00 0 minimum wage has met with resistance from the government sides, especially from states which have indicate that it would well-nigh impossible for them to cope with the payment of that amount
The contend that with the current minim wage of N18,000 many states are unable to pay.
But labour leaders had vowed to mobilise workers for a nationwide strike over the failure of the government, including state governors to implement the new minimum wage.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said the meeting is to brief the workforce on the efforts to ensure the implementation of the minimum wage.
Ngige said Tuesday the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami was studying the minimum wage bill which was submitted by the Tripartite Committee.
Ngige expressed optimism that the meeting will be fruitful with a common ground in the minimum wage.
He said, “There is no bad situation. We are meeting them (labour) on January 4, and we have sent them a letter inviting them. I will meet them with the Budget and Planning Minister on January 4, so that they will know what government is doing.
“We will brief them properly. The labour technical committee is not for them; it is not for their consumption; it is for the executive. It is an executive committee, a committee to advise the executive, we are not reviewing the minimum wage report.
“Government will look at the bill and the Attorney General office is looking at that bill and we will bring out an executive bill from it for consideration by the National Economic Council, Federal Executive Council, National Council of States before transmission to the National Assembly. That is the sequence and we will do these things this month (January) because the National Assembly is on recess.
