The Federal Government on Monday revealed that the implementation of the new national minimum wage would commence in the third quarter of this year. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, who made this known at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Abuja hinted that the negotiation committee for the new minimum wage for workers had received memoranda from all stakeholders involved in the process, adding that implementation should begin later this year.
“Well, we all know the economic situation of the country as of today. The negotiation committee has members from all the tripartite bodies, which means the government cannot force its way. The committee has received memoranda from all the critical stakeholders and should begin the implementation of a new minimum wage in the third quarter of this year."
Meanwhile, the Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, had stated that the fact that there was no provision yet in the 2018 budget proposals currently before the National Assembly to cater for the planned increase did not, in any way, suggest that the government was not willing to increase the workers’ salaries.
