Labour, Tripartite C’ttee chair trade words over minimum wage
CHAIRMAN of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, Bukar Goni Aji, has asked Labour to reconsider the amount it demanded as minimum wage, citing the prevailing economic situation in the country. He listed such incentives as the N35,000 wage award for all treasury-paid federal workers, N100 billion for procurement of gas-fuelled buses and conversion to gas kits, the N125 billion conditional grant, financial inclusion to small and medium scale enterprises and the N25,000 each to be shared to 15 million households for three months as reasons Labour should accept the N62,000 offered by the government, against its demand of N250,000. But Labour in a swift reaction, accused the Tripartite Committee chairman of lacking knowledge of the hardship and suffering workers and other Nigerians were going through. Recall that organised labour is a member of the tripartite committee of a new minimum wage. Labour’s reaction came as Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, said...