
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has commenced dialogue with Labour Unions again in Abuja today as time runs out on a deadline issued by Labour for the payment of a new wage approved for workers by the Federal Government.
Reports say the meeting is the latest in a series of meetings with Labour Leaders to commence the payment of the consequential adjustment in the new minimum wage, signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 18.
The Leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and the Joint National Public service negotiating council are participating in the latest meeting with Ngige.
It would be recalled that on the 7th of this month, Labour leaders issued a communiqué, warning that Economic activities would be shut down on the 16th if the Federal Government failed to reconvene a meeting of the committee on consequential adjustments.
Speaking today, Secretary-General of the JNPSNC, Mr Alade Lawal, told a meeting of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria in Abuja that workers had started Mobilising for a strike. He said the partial implementation of the minimum wage for levels one to six was a ‘divide-and-rule’ system that would be vehemently opposed by labour.