By Ahmed Idris
Members of the Economic Management Team would on Monday meet with governors of the 36 states of the federation over the new national minimum wage demand by the organised labour, Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr. Chris Ngige, said on Friday.
Fielding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja, the minister said no decision has been taken on what should be the actual minimum wage.
“I have come here to consult with the Vice President and Mr. President. On Monday, the economic team will meet and the governors are supposed to come so that the federal government will brief them on what is on the ground and we will see what they will be able to put to us, because the government side is still three tiers: the federal, states and the local governments. The federal government is the leader.
“So, we are inviting them to come so that we will listen to them again, tell them what we are doing and what we intend to do, because they even have members on that committee. So, on Monday we will have a very useful discussion before the tripartite committee will come and submit its report,” he said.
The minister also reiterated government’s determination to implement the ‘no work, no pay’ rule should workers go on strike.
“The issue of no-work, no-pay is not a new thing, it is an existing law passed by the National Assembly in 2004 and assented to by Obasanjo. The law protects both the employers and employees. We are just re- echoing it. It is not anything punitive and new, it has been around since Obasanjo,” he said.
