President Muhammadu Buhari has raised the hope of Nigerian workers on the speedy passage of the new National Minimum Wage.
The President said this in a message to workers on the occasion marking the 2017 May Day Rally with the theme, “Labour Relations in Economic Recession: An Appraisal”.
“I am happy to inform you that government will give expeditious consideration to the proposal contained in the Technical Committee’s Report which was submitted to it on April 6, 2017.
“Government will take necessary steps to implement the final recommendation of the Main Government/Labour Committee as it relates to the setting up the new National Minimum Wage Committee and the needed palliatives.
“This is in order to reduce the discomfort currently being experienced by the Nigerian working class.
“I want to assure you that government will continue to do all at its disposal to better the lots of all Nigerians and more importantly to provide a commensurate welfare for all Nigerian workers, ”he said.
The President said that he was aware that the economic recession in the country has huge implication for the seamless conduct of industrial relations.
He added that this arises from the fact that the economic recession by its nature was characterised by a substantial risk of the “vicious circles of low- productivity.
He said others are mass retrenchment of workers and closure of workplaces due to high cost of doing business, unregulated subcontracting and outsourcing with its consequences on welfare of workers among others.
Commending workers for their resilence, the President said: “In the face of these inevitable challenges, you have shown maturity and understanding in spite of the situation in which we found ourselves. I strongly salute your great sense of patriotism and loyalty to the country.”
