We’ll give minimum wage bill accelerated passage – Senate assures workers

The Senate has assured workers that it would give the New Minimum Wage Bill expeditious attention, once it is presented by the Executive arm.

Senator representing Plateau Central and Chairman of its Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity, Diket Plang, gave the assurance in a statement on Friday.

He said his Committee was happy about the troubleshooting efforts of the federal government to forestall the proposed strike action by Organised Labour and said the Senate and by extension, the 10th National Assembly was committed to decent wage and improved living conditions of workers in the country.

“Efforts of the Federal Government and the Organised Labour for agreeing, to set in motion, necessary machinery to review the current Minimum Wage in Nigeria as contained in the memorandum of understanding signed by the negotiating parties, are commendable.

“The Senate Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity under my chairmanship, is prepared to give expeditious attention to the passage of a new Act, once negotiation on the matter is concluded and such bill transmitted to the National Assembly for enactment .”

He further pleaded with the federal government not to renege on the Memorandum of Understanding it signed with the Trade Union Congress and the Nigeria Labour Congress to inspire confidence building and industrial harmony.

” Nigerians and particularly members of this committee , are happy that the then looming industrial unrest was averted by a memorandum of understanding entered into by the federal government , the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

“However, all the parties involved , should avoid reneging on any of the agreements reached”, he said.

Senator Plang said his committee “is committed to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) principle of decent work and will take necessary legislative action to support efforts that will take necessary legislative action to support efforts that will improve the working conditions of Nigerian including payment of living wage as enshrined in the decent work agenda.”

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