It’s victory for labour
BY TAIWO FAROTIMI
The organised labour has worn the battle for the new minimum wage. The federal government, after a protracted negotiation, has agreed to pay the N30,000 earlier agreed at the tripartite committee meeting chaired by Amma Pepple.
What that means is that the stand of the federal government and the state government that the new minimum wage would be between N22,500 and N24,000 has been jettisoned. Dr. Chris Ngige, minister of Labour and employment has also dropped his argument that the suggestion of state governors may be upheld. Labour had insisted that though it had agreed to negotiate downward from its presentation of N52,500, it will not go below N30,000. It has now won the argument.
As a result of that victory, labour announced late Monday it was suspending the planned nationwide strike beginning Tuesday.
The committee is expected to submit the report of the signed agreement to President Muhammadu Buhari by 4:15 pm on Tuesday.