Minimum wage: Labour gives FG, states 14-day ultimatum

Organised Labour drew the battle line between workers and all strata of governments, on Thursday, as it issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government and the 36 states of the federation to implement

the N18,000 Minimum Wage Act in the country or face a nationwide industrial action

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, and his counterpart in the Trade Union Congress, Mr. Peter Esele, sounded this warning in Abuja, during a joint press conference.

The briefing was to state Labour’s reaction to the delay in the implementation of the new wage regime and the proposal for the removal of fuel subsidy by the Nigerian Governors Forum. The Forum had said that only the removal of the government-funded subsidy on petroleum products could make the funds required for the payment of the minimum wage available to the states.

The joint statement says, “Ultimatum on implementation of National Minimum Wage,” issued at the conference by the two foremost labour organizations stressed that the implementation of the minimum wage was not negotiable.

““Having reviewed the state of respect of the Minimum Wage Law, we have come to the sad realization that no level of Government has implemented the law, be it Federal, State or Local governments, in spite of the law having come into effect since March 2011.