The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris
Ngige, has said its time for the Federal
Government to fix a new minimum wage of
Nigerian workers.
Ngige, who made the remark on Friday, also
stressed that the new minimum wage was long
overdue.
The minister disclosed that the federal
executive council (FEC) would review the report
of the joint committee on the national minimum
wage on Wednesday.
He noted that the 16-man technical committee
on minimum wage and palliatives had submitted its report to the main committee, headed by the secretary to the government of the federation.
According to Ngige, "This report have being
adopted just last week by the 29 -man joint
committee.
"So the report is now being taken to the Federal
Executive Council (FEC) for approval next week
and then the Acting President will constitute a
National Minimum Wage Review Committee.
"This National Minimum Wage Review
Committee will then fix a new minimum wage for the country.
"It has become imperative for a new minimum
wage, because the last minimum wage has a life span of five years, it was signed into law by
President Goodluck Jonathan- and it elapsed by
Aug. 2016.
"So it is a law that it would have a national
application for both those in the private sector
and those in the public sector
How My Ghanaian Friend Got His Iron Wood
Back "So the implementation of the national minimum wage is not only for the Federal Government alone."
Admitting that the issue of minimum wage was
a constitutional issue, Ngige said all
stakeholders would be involved in the final
discussions.
He said the private sector, employers of labour,
government and governors, among others would be involved in the discussion.
"We must all sit together and come out with an
acceptable agreement,"
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