Nigeria To Take Final Position On New Minimum Wage On Monday

Nigeria To Take Final Position On New Minimum Wage On Monday

The Federal Government will on Monday, October 29, take a final position on the new national minimum wage, after an enlarged meeting of all key stakeholders including state governors, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has said.

The minister, who said this on Friday, October 26, also disclosed that the no-work, no-pay labour policy was initiated during the tenure of former president Olusegun Obasanjo.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) had penultimate Wednesday approved the implementation of the white paper on the policy.

Ngige told State House reporters yesterday that the policy was passed by the National Assembly in 2004 and that Obasanjo assented to it.

“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 employers and employees. We are just re- echoing it. It is not anything punitive or new, it has been around since,” he said.

After the meeting, he said President Muhammadu Buhari would transmit a bill on the new national minimum wage to the National Assembly for consideration and passage. He said the National Assembly would organize a public hearing on the bill to enable the public contribute to the draft law.