Hopes by workers that the implementation of the N18,000 new minimum wage will begin this month have been dashed, as the National Council of State on Thursday deferred its approval.



Although the council, which comprises the President, vice-president, past Nigerian leaders and governors, said it was “sympathetic to the idea,” it, however, explained that its implementation had to be put on hold temporarily because of ‘technical and practical issues.’



Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole made this known in Abuja just as the Nigeria Labour Congress raised a committee to ensure effective mobilisation of workers for its three-day warning strike over the delay in the implementation of the new wage.



The governor, who briefed journalists after the meeting presided over by Vice-President Namadi Sambo, did not state what constituted the ‘technical and practical issues.’



But he said that the council raised a sub-committee headed by Sambo to “fine-tune those areas.”



Oshiomhole said the members of the committee were himself, Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Gabriel Suswan (Benue) and Sule Lamido (Jigawa).



The committee has two weeks to submit its report to the NCS, which will meet in late November.



The Edo State governor said, “The council received the report (on the minimum wage) and was sympathetic to the idea, but it observed that there were a couple of technical and practical issues to be sorted out.



“It resolved to set up a sub-committee to be chaired by the vice-president with some governors as members. The committee will fine-tune those areas so that at the end of the day, we will have a package that can be implemented in a way that will not cause any crisis around the country.”



But Oshiomhole, a former NLC president, faulted the congress on the manner it announced the planned warning strike over the minimum wage.



He said, “When I was at the NLC, I always argued the case that it was disrespectful to inform your principals through the media. Those technical issues will be raised with the NLC and they will be raised directly, not through a third party, like the media.”



A few hours before the NCS meeting ended, the NLC constituted an 11-member committee to mobilise workers for the strike planned for November 10 – 12.



Members of the committee, led by a Vice- Chairman of the NLC, Mr. Promise Adewusi, are Owei Lakemfa, Isa Aremu, Ola Elijah, Marcus Omokhuale, Ben Basue, Uche Ekwu, Chris Uyot, Valentine Udeh, Obukese Orere and Mansur Musa.



Adewusi, who is also the national president of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, told journalists in Abuja that the congress was firm in its determination to ensure the implementation of the new wage.



He recalled that the NLC demanded a N52,200 minimum wage in 2008 to alleviate workers’ plight but had to accept N18,000 as the minimum wage.



Adewusi said, “Due to the very high cost of living, the NLC made a demand for N52,200 as minimum wage in 2008, to which the Federal Government agreed and set up a negotiating committee.



“The NLC out of patriotic zeal later agreed to a very low N18, 000 new minimum wage, which itself cannot take care of the worker, spouse and four children.



“It is instructive to note that the National Assembly has indicated readiness to give the minimum wage bill accelerated passage once the Executive presents it. But many months after, the government has refused to submit the bill to be passed into law.



“The National Assembly cannot even do anything because the bill is yet to be placed before it. So, in the event that by November 9, nothing happens, this committee will ensure that the strike is effected.”



He said the NLC had already opened channels of communication with its affiliates and state councils on the looming strike.



Adewusi said, “We are also saying that there is no going back. By the 10th of this month, every worker within Nigeria must stop work, the airplanes will not fly, we will make sure that the ports and the wharfs are shut down; but we hope it does not come to that.



“The roads will be closed and any worker who is found on the road on those three days will be treated as a traitor.



“The warning strike of three days is the first in the series of actions that will be embarked upon to actualise the minimum wage demand.” The Chairman of NSIWC, Chief Richard Egbule, had said at a news conference in Abuja that the report was before the council of state.



He had said, “It (report) is at the stage where I have been invited now to go to NCS now to talk on it. It has not been tampered with; it has gone through NEC and is now at the NCS. I have been called to go there .” Continued from page 2







Egbule explained that the commission played a very active role in all the processes that led to the review of remuneration in the Federal Public Service, through the provision of technical input and advice.



He said that the commission also “participated on government side in negotiations with staff unions such as the renegotiation of 2001 ASUU-FGN agreement, which was concluded in 2009.



“Following the efforts of the commission and other stakeholders, government recently approved increases in the pension of retirees from the public service in relation to salary, which occurred from 2001 to 2007,” the NSIWC chairman said.



The NLC received a major support for the strike from the Trade Union Congress, which said on Thursday that it would join in the work boycott.



TUC, in a statement by its President-General, Mr. Peter Esele, and Secretary-General, Mr. John Kolawole, said it had decided to be a part of the strike in order to ensure that government honoured standing agreements.



TUC said that the Federal Government had shown lack of commitment and unfaithfulness to the terms of agreement reached between it and labour.



There had been fears that the Federal Government currently lacked the resources to implement the scheme following a series of delay in its implementation.



The delay had made the leadership of the NLC to issue strike threats. For instance, the congress had on October, 27 issued a 14- day ultimatum to the government to implement the new wage or face a three-day work boycott by workers.



Meanwhile, NEC has said that some aspects of the National Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill should be streamlined before being sent to the National Assembly for passage in to law.



Katsina Governor, Ibrahim Shema, who briefed journalists on this, said the council agreed that the bill should be sent for further consultations.



NEC had in its April 20 meeting endorsed the formation of NSWF as a substitute to the Excess Crude Account, which currently manages the nation’s extra earnings from higher prices of crude oil.






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Starting from Mr. President to the least people commenting on issue, I just want to ask them individually are they not workers as if they really believe that they are Nigerians? If yes how much is do they receive monthly as their salary? Do they think that no other persons can perform better than them in their current positions? 18,000 per month pleases is not an issue that should be prolonged. Remember that these workers are the one that put you all there. But see how you are deciding on them

^^^ I dey support u!

I am sick of the egg head\s ruling.

Is the thought of delibrating over the payment of 18k not insulting enough?  

Yet this monkey\s earn do much for  very little output [img]http://[/img] [img][/img]

GOD he said nothin about our strike is jus so bad

Even when it takes them just two days to APPROVE BILLIONS for COUP PLOTTERS, USURPERS and CROOKS, i weep for Nigerian Workers!!!!

Nigerian workers should embark on a 7 day warning strike.

They should pass this with the same speed they passed their own remunerations and allowances . it is now that they want to talk economics, inflation etc. useless people . it is now that they are raising committees and subcommittees and sub sub committees . They are just trying to keep money in the system to prosecute elections. shio

at tym i just laugh at ds country on some issue! ds people in abuja are just foolin mases, in their own view dey are ruling! let call a spade a spade stop foolin plpe pay the token they ask for!

I really think the NLC should embark on an indefinite strike that would ground all govt activities to a halt and begin to affect our leaders. What kind of rubbish is this, Common 18k you cannot pay and even if you pay, not promptly. And you sit your black asses in Abuja approving pay raise for your self and former leaders. This is totally absurd

All security agencies should go on strike too , This is very frustrating. And you say there is corruption. How do you want people to eat with you 8k a month. Ko make sense ke, The solution, Force this people out of power, Period. I tire mehn

otokx:

Nigerian workers should embark on a 7 day warning strike.

Wont solve anything. They have been doing this for so long, No change, This time around, Ground Govt Activity to a halt,

its called a MINIMUM WAGE. minimum wage in no country is supposed to support and adult, its just a threshold the government won't allow you to pass.

MINIMUM

key word ppl.

MINIMUM

N18,000 as minimum wage is just about enough to cover transportation cost only. Na wa o, while all these people earn millions the real workers are their suffering and smiling. I

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Ikengawo:

its called a MINIMUM WAGE. minimum wage in no country is supposed to support and adult, its just a threshold the government won't allow you to pass.
MINIMUM
key word ppl.
MINIMUM

Well Nigeria does not have minimum wage legislation as such. Such legislation stipulates that the hourly pay of ANY worker in the jurisdiction must not fall  below a specified amount.
What they are referring to here is just the minimum monthly salary of state and federal civil servants who form a just a small segment of the total workforce.
In other words the proposed legislation is strictly for the benefit of civil servants and not workers in the so-called informal sector.

Seriously, somebody needs to line all Nigerian leaders up and execute them in cold blood. That this is even a debate is appalling. These are the same people that literally steal billions from the national coffers.

why?[img]http://2.s07.flagcounter.com/count/DymW/bg=ffffff/txt=ffffff/border=ffffff/columns=1/maxflags=1/viewers=3/labels=0/[/img]
[img]http://s07.flagcounter.com/count/DymW/bg=ffffff/txt=ffffff/border=ffffff/columns=1/maxflags=1/viewers=3/labels=0/[/img]

Just a measly 18,000 per month and they are citing technicalities. . .yet a senator in this same Nigeria is receiving about 20million a month, over a thousand times that amount. . .pity

WE NEED 1 SUICIDE BOMBER , TO ENTER THEIR MEETING PLACE AND WIPE OUT THESE DEVILS RULING US, AND WE WILL HAVE A NEW AND MOVING NIGERIA. WHO WILL VOLUNTEER?

mekaboy:

WE NEED 1 SUICIDE BOMBER , TO ENTER THEIR MEETING PLACE AND WIPE OUT THESE DEVILS RULING US, AND WE WILL HAVE A NEW AND MOVING NIGERIA. WHO WILL VOLUNTEER?

we will all be glad if u can volunteer, pls ensure you don't miss the next National state council or na council of state meeting.
I will take care of your family

In united states where Government performs what is expected of them, the lowest minimum wage of all the states is $7.25/hr. Working 8hrs a day and 20days a month is a total of $1,160/month (N174,000). Source: wikipedia

Comparing N18,000 to N174,000 is a big shame for us. Though we have natural resources in abundance same can't be said of human resources. Our human productivity is way too low and i believe this is an area a good government need to declare a state of emergency.

A lot of workers now live their lives in traffic, something usually caused by potholes and bad traffic management. This is just to say the least knowing corruption is top, every business spend more on power than usual while some can't even work.

2011 is an opportunity to start our own change, that is if we vote right. With over 64million Nigerian been illiterate, we might just have fewer informed Nigerians voting for the right political party.



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What's with these politicians and creating Committees and Sub-committees under those committees??

Just implement the damn thing and start paying it.

to those of U calling for a strike, don't be fooled. its only the average person that will suffer from a strike action.

18,000 naira minimum wage is too small for a worker,compare to what senators pay their cleaners, how about the two presidential jet GEJ bought after the one used by yaradua,they didnt strike for the money,how about the constitution amendment for senators and reps allowances, without no public interference of the amended bill no body talked about it,now NLC raised alarm for increament they have started impending on it.NLC should stand on their action and make it up to 58,000.

My take on this is that as long as this bunch of selfish adults who call themselves our leaders are making the Nigerians suffer, they know no peace in their lives until they do the right thing.
They can start by cutting the wages of the national assembly members and use it to implement the minimum wage shekenah!

The present min wage is N17k and NLC is agitating for a min wage of N18k,just a N1k increase.I dont see any sense in it.Min wage should nt be less than N30k.

18k of minimum wage is token and somehow embarrassing in the fundamental conservative country of this nature but yet fail to respect and implement the agreement of 2008 connote that all out leaders are not only corrupt, in-ept, vision less and full of selfish aggrandizement, in fact they are pot belly fraudsters.

We are all so concerned now about 18k, fogetting we neeed 2 go back 2 school. we are not yet sure if they will call off the strike till 2010.
well, how do u expect we future leaders 2 lead during our own time?