President Goodluck Jonathan said on Monday that the Federal Government could not be committed to the full implementation of the Minimum Wage Act 2011 till next year.

Reacting to the development, organised labour accused the government of insincerity and vowed to go ahead with the warning strike it had scheduled for Wednesday (tomorrow).

The President spoke through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, who led a Federal Government team to a meeting with organised labour in Abuja.

Anyim said, “The President said that we should not break the law. (He said) we should invite the labour leaders to let them know that we would pay (workers on) levels one to six and then include the funds for the payment of the relativity in the next budget, so that with effect from January, it can take off.

“We have no problem agreeing with labour; everything is clear, but we cannot go against the law. The only way we can raise money is through budgeting; another budgeting season is around the corner, so that we can commence the implementation of the law from January.

“The Federal Government has made budgetary provisions to pay the new wage to workers from grade level one to six, who are known to earn below N18,000. You have demanded that the Act should apply to all categories of workers in the country.

“I want to say that the Federal Government did not contemplate this position, and it did not make provision in the budget to implement this as everybody focused on the minimum wage.”

Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, accompanied Anyim to the parley, while Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, led the state governments’ delegation.

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Abdulwaheed Omar, and his Trade Union Congress counterpart, Peter Esele, led the labour team.

Organised labour had served the government a two-week ultimatum to either be committed to the full implementation of the new minimum wage regime or be prepared for a three-day warning strike, commencing from Wednesday, July 20. Stakeholders say the meeting is the last effort aimed at averting the imminent strike.

The strike, which appears inevitable now, is being coordinated by the NLC, TUC, and the Civil Society Coalition.

A labour leader at the Monday meeting which held behind closed doors told THE PUNCH at the end of the meeting that it was deadlocked.

The source said the Federal Government insisted on its plan to pay the new wage to only workers on levels One to Six in the civil service to the exclusion of other categories of workers.

“That is what it did with monetisation, which took it three years to implement. They don’t want to pay all federal workers. They are limiting it to core civil servants only; and this is not acceptable to labour.

“So, there is a deadlock; and therefore, the strike will go on on Wednesday,” the source said.

Before the meeting went into the closed session, Anyim had said that the meeting was not to negotiate the wages and salaries of workers but to address the issues thrown up by the Minimum Wage Act.

He appealed to labour to consider government’s appeal to commence full implementation of the minimum wage from January 2012 because the budget provided funds for workers between salary grade levels one and six only.

The SGF explained that it was Jonathan’s position that the contentious issue of relativity would be effectively handled in next year’s budget.

But the representatives of the organised labour spurned the government offer.

Esele argued that the Federal Government, which had provided over N100bn for the Independent National Electoral Commission before the April polls, should in like-manner provide a few billions for the payment of the new wage.

He described the new wage as a national emergency, which workers were prepared to respond to effectively.

“We do not have to wait till January to implement this law. We are doing everything on behalf of Nigerian workers to make sure that this issue is resolved,” he said.

Earlier, Omar had expressed dismay over government’s latest interpretation of the minimum wage law.

He said the concern of workers who struggled for the minimum wage was not a benchmark but a salary review.

He, therefore, appealed to the government team to approach the resolution of the industrial dispute with the sincerity and transparency it deserved.

Omar said that with the turn of events, the three-day warning strike would go on as planned.

He said, “Nigerians are watching us as to where sincerity lies where it should be in this matter. I don’t think anything has changed.

“The same table of implementation which labour rejected is being presented to us. And even the evolution of that table was done mischievously.

“One thing that baffles me in this is that even the people we have negotiated with are now talking only about a minimum wage benchmark when they know we demanded a salary increase.”

In his remarks, Amaechi urged the labour leaders to reconsider their decision to go on strike because of its likely impact on the poor whom labour represented.



http://punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201107192572064

The gov't is not being honest with their stance. Why should they be vacillating and reneging their promises? The law empowers to collect from the constituted revenue fund(CRF) to meet expenditures. So, why are they coming out with this puerile reason, that the minimum wage wasn't included in the year's budget? They should just seek an appropriation that'll empower them to withdraw from the CRF. Okay, what'll be the fate of those them that will retire this year? The organised should be extend the duration of this their touted strike, to send home their request.

kasiem:

The gov't is not being honest with their stance. Why should they be vacillating and reneging their promises? The law empowers to collect from the constituted revenue fund(CRF) to meet expenditures. So, why are they coming out with this puerile reason, that the minimum wage wasn't included in the year's budget? They should just seek an appropriation that'll empower them to withdraw from the CRF. Okay, what'll be the fate of those them that will retire this year? The organised should be extend the duration of this their touted strike, to send home their request.

The same government you igbus stuffed ballot papers in boxes for.

, and who da hell did u ideots vote for? Anuohia, and who da hell did u ideots vote for? Anuohia

Me i voted ACN all the way mr. Igbu

Odechukwu ratified this minimum wage malarkey before elections knowing fully well we can't afford it. Another example of the wishy-washy character of Odechukwu, a man who makes a million promises to placate people, yet with no plan to implement. Odechukwu would borrow billions from World Bank next year just for overheads. Yet the elephant in the room (corruption) which hampers every single attempt at budget implementation.

We voted GEJ and not PDP

I dey laff.

If the room is too hot and there no light to power the AC/fan, Abeg bring out your bench and enjoy the

[size=28pt]FRESH AIR[/size]

? IGG!

Seanet1000:

Me i voted ACN all the way mr. Igbu

i never knew that it was ribadu that won south west. Bunch of hypocrites!

dayokanu:



If the room is too hot and there no light to power the AC/fan, Abeg bring out your bench and enjoy the

[size=28pt]FRESH AIR[/size]

THe best


Why did GEJ sign the thing knowing well that he could not afford it . Na waa oooo - Maybe na election promise - What happened to " I will build Airport in every state "

I am speechless, I was thinking it's only the state governors That were complaining.

Why did he sign it into law in the place, to deceive the mass?

I am scared,i am very scared
Not only am i seeing a huge gap between the rich and the poor.

Not only am i seeing the private sector given powers to do and undo( who knows what their minimum wage is)

Not only am i getting confused when the general impetus is that Nigeria is broke( are we really?)

minimum wage in reality should have been applicable to only a low percentage of the country's workers( eg when there was a minimum wage increase in UK very few people felt the impact only those on really low income)

With this in mind,the president shouldn't hesitate to implement this,for once he should think of the people who come rain come sunshine voted for him and not those who are bent at destroying Nigeria by acquiring and spending money as if there is no tomorrow

In other words,
Is GEJ telling us that an act of parliament  that was duly signed into law by the president is not
a law in effect until it is budgeted for in the annual budget?

But the Reps can collect Loan to pay themselves, and the senators can get money upfront 4 accommodation and all,

GOD punish them all.

I'm short of words, DAMN,

The federal and state governments should slash the salaries and allowances of their various legislature and see if we don't just have more than enough to not just pay the minimum wage but also provide the basic infrastructure of good roads,free education,affordable healthcare and uninterrupted power supply.

What a pity  that state Government can not  pay the Minimum Wage.
We audit for firms and NGO's.
www.geomelaccounts..com

Please, labour or whatever you called urself, bear with our preseident, you know he has to pay many people for their hardwork before and during the just concluded election, so the govt cannot afford to pay any labour for now.

The govt. have a prioritize it pay check in this order.

1. Agip (all govt. in power personnel) must be paid for their usual support.

2. The new ministries must be funded adequately for there start, and all the porfolios in it.

3. The Govt. has to pay Nollywood for there unusual support during the election.

4. Obasanjo, IBB, Atiku, Aneneh, and you know them all must be paid daily.

5. All curropt politician and whathave you are all in govt. payrol, where you want the govt to pay the minimum wages when all these are in place.

please, wait till 2015 when the govt will have enough in his pocket to dash una the minimum change. Abeg allow the govt. to settle into business

Una never see anything, since all of una f00ls, this is what you voted for, and plsssssss enjoy the FLESH AIR till 2017 se una hear labour, tell your members that their labour is in vain in this government, cos nothing 4 una.

If them like make them go strike, na dem go suffer, as long as the oil is being pump daily, no shakement

nigerians are the worst ppl on planet earth, until we nigerians discover our problem n solve it, nothin will eva work for this country.

Im cruising on fresh air whose's wif me

I personally feel it is a duty of the labour union to demand a restructure of all wages and allocations as concerns government ministries and political positions. If the excessive wages of politicians and government is addressed minimum wages would be payable .
A witch-hunt of all politicans and government expenditure as seen in the UK last year is needed

Both FG (GEJ) and NLC are all hypocrites. I thought they will call off immediately they agreed to effect those of level 1 to 6. One would have thought that they are fighting for the masses. They are not fighting for what they should be fighting for. Why didnt they strike against corruption, why didnt they strike for non availability of basic infrastructures. An average civil servant is worse (more corrupt than GEJ himself). They are all fighting or their pockets. Now prices of commodities will balloon to God knows where and putting the common man in a deeper hole. Nonsense! Abegi, shior I even weak to type coz dis country don tire peson.

Politicians are all the same but the Africans are worst. Government cannot pay until 2012 but they can embezzle public fund at will. Prosperity will not forgive these idiots.

Rastamann:

Politicians are all the same but the Africans are worst. Government cannot pay until 2012 but they can embezzle public fund at will. Prosperity will not forgive these idiots.

[size=16pt]Bros take am easy naw, truly money no dey [/size]

dis is just d tip of d iceberg. why d complains? afta 12yrs of fi d fi drama? has anytin good kum out of fi d fi? it is abnormal 2 vote anybody in pdp. i stand 2 be corrected. ur past record wil determine ur future! wen u are a corrupt politician, u cannot change overnite and nigerians voted jonathan based on where he is coming 4geting dat those who destroyed dis nation are stil d pipo controling it. i hv my hope 4 naija way bak and i cant even find it (hope)

There's no reason to castigate gej in this matter. Since, the labourers are being complacent with their demand, then, it's left for the presido to put them behind and face other hooking demand. So, no need to kill the president until the organised labour gets serious.

Naija lawbreakers why are we making fool of ourselves? or who do they think they were deceiving when they passes the bill into law? I strongly believed that the minimum wage bill follow due process according to what some of them do said, passes through the lower house to the senate and finally forward to the presidency for final approval. If this bill in question was been debated on before final approval is obtained. Why 'll the lawmakers has they called themselve did not or could not include this into 2011 budget?
Punch of looters

to hell with the labour and their needs. if everybody is here complaining against jonathan, who then voted him and pdp back to aso rock at a time when nigerians were calling for change? how did nigerians believe that a single jonathan can change the whole family of corrupt pdp?
it is a shame that nigerians refused to think like human beings hence jonathan sweet talked everybody into what i foresee as the most dangerous govt in the history of this country.
nigerians must wake up from their slumber and attack this corruption called pdp and delete them from the system and only then will this country find a solution to all these useless stories.

This goes a long way to show the kind of pretencious pple we r in dis country, when GEJ promised he was going to pay d workers 18000 did anybody force him to do so ?
Come to think of it after he made dat promise to dem d matter was tabled b4 d national council of states meeting in which ol d governors were present, y didn't they oppose it den ? They kept mute only for dem to com & b telling us hw much they need to borrow in order to b able to pay it.
I now blieve dat PDP is really People Decieving People party. And one will neva hear their political appointees complain of salary increase for one day. A governor will have a batalion of aides & SAs that have to be remunerated every month, HOW WUD THEY B ABLE TO PAY WEN DEY HAV TO SATISFY ALL PARTY LOYALISTS & THUGS

All of una go cpmplian tire labour or labourer, una never see anything, thank God, the foolishness of majority now swallow the minority, that means in democrazy, the minority will have their say and the majority will have their way, so in naija case the majority are corrupt just like the Govt dey voted for.

pls wait till 2015, if majority of the so-called labour in labour union will have any mouth, expect reduction in pay instead of the increment.

Someone said, those that voted for PDP, their affairs will be run as PDP run Nigeria, that one no be curse, na reality and this is just the begining of the show, Nigeria grab ur safe rope and enjoy the FRESHIEST AIR in our history

shake head and spite saliva, tufiakwa