FG, Labour Reach Accord … Minimum Wage To Be Paid Across Board

The Minister of Labour, Mr Emeka Wogu,  said the Federal Government has agreed with the organised labour on the implementation of the N18,000 national minimum wage.

The Federal Government and the organised labour reached the agreement at a meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim,.

Anyim, who read the communiqué after two and half hours of a closed door meeting, yesterday, assured  workers that the Federal Government would comply with the National Minimum Wage Act as signed by President Goodluck Jonathan.

He also reiterated the government’s commitment to apply the relativity adjustment to all federal workers across the board.

“The Federal Government has agreed to comply with the National Minimum Wage Act 2011 and the modalities will be worked out by the joint committee and  tabled before the national executive councils of the NLC and the TUC.

“The detailed negotiation on relativity adjustment with respect to the implementation of the minimum wage has been sorted out and agreed upon. It is equally agreed that the implementation of what has been concluded upon today would begin in August 2011,’’ he said.

Wogu, however, said that in the spirit of the negotiation, whatever role anybody had played, especially from the TUC and NLC, nobody would be victimised by the government.

In his remarks, the NLC President, Abdulwahed Omar noted that the discussion on relativity would have been concluded by July 31, but was delayed because of the earlier disagreement between the government and labour.

“I am happy that we have been able to sort this today and also the issue of adjustment cutting across the board will be sorted out by the joint technical committee. “These are the major areas of contention that delayed the whole agreement and because of this development; we have got the respective labour centres to now make formal presentations to their respective organs in a meeting between today and tomorrow,’’ Omar said.

Mr Peter Esele, the President-General of TUC, also noted that the outcome of the negotiation would be discussed at the union’s national executive council meeting.

Esele said the issue of relativity was addressed and agreed upon by both parties, noting that the Federal Government had agreed to implement the new wage increase across the board.

Deputy Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Leyii Kwane (right) listening to the Leader of the House, Hon Chidi Lloyd at the House of Assembly complex, Port Harcourt, yesterday