Minimum wage: Conciliation resumes Sunday — Ngige

Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, says conciliation on the national minimum wage will continue on Sunday despite the court injunction restraining organised labour from embarking on strike.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the National Industrial Court had on Friday ordered the organised labour not to go ahead with the nationwide strike scheduled for Nov. 6.

Justice Sanusi Kado gave the order in a ruling on an ex parte application moved on behalf of the Federal Government by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr Dayo Apata.

Recall that organised labour had threatened to commence an indefinite strike on Nov. 6 to press for a new minimum wage of N30, 000 for workers.

The minister in the statement, however, insists that the conciliation meeting involving organised Labour, the organised private sector and government scheduled for Sunday remain unchanged.

“The conciliation meeting involving the Organised Labour, the Organised Private Sector and Government scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 4 at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation by 6 p.m. is still on course and will hold,’’ he said.

Ngige said that this will be followed by another meeting of the National Tripartite Minimum Wage Committee meeting on Monday, Nov. 5 at the same venue.

The minister appealed to all tripartite members to attend the meetings in the interest of the nation and finding a solution to the minimum wage impasse.