Minimum wage: NLC optimistic of payment before end of 2018

Mr Peter Ozo-Esan, General Secretary, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has assured Nigerians workers of the payment of the reviewed minimum wage before the end of 2018.

Ozo-Esan gave this assurance in an interview with our reporter on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to him, in spite of the delay caused by the Sallah break, the tripartite committee involved with the review of the wage will conclude its work on Sept. 4th and 5th.

“We believe that the initial expectation that by September a new minimum wage should come on board, we think that the government still should be able to deliver that to Nigerians.

“Nigerian workers will continue to demand that from the government and as soon as this report is submitted government should do the needful before the National Assembly, because that is the process.

“We expect that the National Assembly will play its part in speedily considering the bill that will be placed before it and do everything possible for Nigerian workers to have a new minimum wage.’’

On the concerns raised by state governors, Ozo-Esan stressed that it was not for them to determine what to pay, but that as employers they must comply with the minimum wage as approved by law.

“Minimum wage is not fixed for government, it is fixed for employers across the economy whether government or private employer, the law will require you to pay the minimum wage.

“What state governments want does not matter, because this is not a political matter; the minimum wage is the barest minimum that any worker must earn and no employer can go below that.’’ he added.

The NLC secretary general stressed that state governments mismanaging their funds have no excuse not to pay salaries, adding that Nigerian must start demanding for dividends of democracy from their leaders.

“We urge our members to get their voter cards and vote out governors who have shown incapacity to govern,” he added.