End minimum wage impasse now, Labour tells FG

The Nigeria Labour Congress has urged the Federal Government to conclude the negotiations for the consequential salary adjustment of the N30, 000 new national minimum wage so that all workers would have a reason to smile at the end of this month.

The NLC had given the government the October 16 deadline to either resolve the issue or risk an industrial action.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday on the sideline of 2019 World Decent Work Day, NLC Vice President Benjamin Anthony yesterday said there could not be decent work without decent wages, adding that the national minimum wage is the floor for decent wages.

“We call on all tiers of government in Nigeria to commence full implementation of the N30,000 national minimum wage,” he said.

According to him, workers are tired of a world where they are exposed to worsening health and safety situations with increased cases of deaths and injuries at work.

The National Union of Postal and Telecommunications Employees (NUPTE) challenged employers, especially private telecommunication companies operating in Nigeria, to respect decent work principles and the rights of workers to form and belong to a union of their choice without restriction.

NUPTE President Buba Nehemiah raised an alarm over decent work deficit such as casualisation, outsourcing, occupational health and safety, job security, lack of social protection, poor wages, lack of overtime pay and other entitlements by telecommunication companies.