TheCable

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says Chris Ngige, minister of labour and productivity, is doing the president great harm by taking the issue of new minimum wage for granted.

Ayuba Wabba, NLC president, made the statement on Friday while reacting to a comment credited to Ngige.

The labour minister had said workers should not expect the new minimum wage by September, as promised by the federal government.

In response, Wabba said Nigerian workers are “shocked” by Ngige’s statement.

“Do we need to remind the minister that he was once a civil servant who always looked forward to his monthly salary? Nigerian workers who are not privileged to earn fat salaries, allowances, estacodes and other perks of political appointment are looking forward to enjoy minimal relief in the form of the new national minimum wage,” he said.

“The leadership of the NLC regards the gaffe as inconsistent with the fervour so far demonstrated by the tripartite committee set up by Mr President to review the national minimum wage.”

Wabba said the minister’s stance is at variance with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo’s May Day declaration that government is committed to ensuring that the issue of the new minimum wage is delivered.

“Our concern is ‘who is the minister of labour speaking for? On whose side is the minister of labour on the upward review of the national minimum wage,” the labour leader said.

“May we remind the minister that the review of the national minimum wage is long overdue. The 2011 Belgore tripartite committee set up by government agreed that the review of the minimum wage should happen every five years. It is now close to eight years that the last review of the national minimum wage took place.

“It will be a great disservice to his boss; Mr President, if he keeps taking for granted this very important issue of a new national minimum wage. For many Nigerian families, this is the difference between survival and extinction.”