UPDATED: Minimum Wage Committe To Meet Buhari As Two Figures Surface

* As Labour insists on N30,000, FG N24,000 minimum
wage

Confusion characterised the meeting of Tripartite Committee on
National Minimum Wage at the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation (SGF) Office, on Monday, as the committee upheld two
different figures to be presented to President Muhammadu
Buhari.

As of 70.30 pm Monday night when the meeting was briefly
suspended to be reconvened by 10:00 pm, the Labour leaders refused
to speak on the new positions presented by the government side.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Ama Pepple, and the Minister
of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, revealed to
journalists that the meeting had resolved to present two different
figures to the President for consideration.

According to them, the committee resolved to present N24,000,
being the figure proposed by the government representatives and
N30,000, being the figure agreed to and supported by the Organized
Private Sector represented by the Nigeria Employees Consultative
Association (NECA), and the Organised Labour.

Both Ngige and Pepple, however, gave an indication that Labour
was not against this new position, but all efforts to hear the side
of Labour were not successful as they refused to talk.

Chairperson of the committee, and a former Head of Civil Service
of the Federation, Ama Pepple, who spoke with newsmen after long
hours of meeting said while the Federal Government proposed N24,000
while the organised labour insisted on N30,000.

She, however, explained that members of the committee comprising
representatives of the government, organised labour, and private
sector have agreed to present the two figures to President
Muhammadu Buhari for further action.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha,
had disclosed that the tripartite meeting would meet Monday so as
to come up with the final report that would be forwarded to
President Muhammadu Buhari for approval.

Ama Pepple, who noted that the decision was not a stalemate said
the meeting had been adjourned to reconvene at 10 p.m last night to
secure the commitment of the labour to suspend the strike.

She disclosed that committee had reached the Chapter 5 of the
report which has to do the negotiation and figures used for
negotiation.

She added that the arrived at two figures, saying “the Federal
Government suggested N24,000 and labour and organized private
sector gave a figure of N30,000”.

When asked if that was a stalemate since they could not arrive
at a compromise, People, said there was no stalemate, saying the
negotiation on the figures were concluded and signed.

“What we are insisting on is that the strike should be called
off. Remember that labour gave the figure if N66,500 but when we
put all that together plus the inputs of the state governments,
because we wrote to the states, we arrived at these two figures I
have told you,” she said.

She said when the report is submitted to President Muhammadu
Buhari, it would go through a process of legislation at the
National Assembly and any final figure could come out at the
end.

She said government has pleaded with the labour to call off the
strike, even though have said they would consult with their members
before coming up with a position on that.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, who
corroborated the words of Amma Pepple, reasonable progress has been
made.

He said the report when submitted to the President would go
through the Federal Executive Council (FEC), National Economic
Council (NEC) and National Council of State and would be
transmitted as an Executive Bill to the National Assembly.

Ngige, said the Federal Government figure if N24,000 was based
on ability and affordability to pay.

He said: “The Labour is quite satisfied, we are doing the
needful. We have crossed the Rubicon. The only aspect of it now
that we need to fix appointment for handing over of the report to
Mr President.