Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige

The organized labour in Nigeria on Thursday issued a December 31, 2018 ultimatum to the Federal Government to forward the report of the tripartite committee which recommended ₦30,000 as national minimum wage to the National Assembly.

The three labour unions made up of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the United Labour Congress (ULC)  gave the deadline after a joint meeting which was held in Lagos.

The ultimatum followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement during Wednesday’s budget presentation that a high powered technical committee would be set up to device ways to ensure that the implementation of the minimum wage did not lead to an increase in the level of the country’s borrowing.

Addressing journalists shortly after the meeting, the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba said he maintained that the setting up of a technical committee was not a guarantee for the passage of the minimum wage report to the National Assembly.

Wabba said the organized labour would not guarantee industrial peace and harmony in the country if the wage report was not passed for implementation on or before December 31, 2018.

His words: “We reject in its entirety the plan to set up another ‘high powered technical committee’ on the minimum wage. It is diversionary and a delay tactic.

“The national minimum wage committee was both technical and all-encompassing in its composition and the plan to set up a technical committee is alien to the tripartite process.

“It is also alien to the International Labour Organizations’ conventions on national minimum wage setting mechanism.”

While citing other African countries like Kenya, Ghana and South Africa which increased their minimum wage this year, the labour leader said the issue of payment of minimum wage was a law that was universal.

“If you increase minimum wage, you are increasing the purchasing power of the economy which will help to reduce inflation rather than increase it,” he added.

He therefore urged workers in the country to be vigilant and prepare to campaign and vote against candidates and politicians who were not willing to implement the new minimum wage.