The Organised Labour has commend President Muhammad Buhari for assenting to the National Minimum Wage Amendment Act approving N30,000 for the least paid worker in the country.
Recall that the bill was passed by the National Assembly in March, but was signed into law on Thursday by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Some of the Labour leaders who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Thursday in Abuja described the action as a way forward.
Mr. Bobboi Kaigama, President Trade Union Congress, TUC, said it was long overdue.
According to Kaigama, “we want to appreciate Mr. President for assenting to the Bill on the National Minimum Wage. We also want to use this opportunity to congratulate Nigerian workers.
“We also want to use this opportunity to tell the Nigerian workers that the battle for the actualisation of N30, 000 minimum wage is not yet over. We still have to wait for the template to be release by the National Salaries and Wages Commission.
“We want our members to be very calm and await the release of the table and also the consequential increases, ” he said.
He however said although the battle has been won it is not yet over, noting that the Federal Government does not have issue in terms of implementation.
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“I want to assure you that the states and local governments will have issues on the implementation. That is why I said the battle has started.
“We will begin to hear from state governments how they will announce the implementation and which of the states that will have one obstacle or the other, and we plan how to confront those governments.
“The Nigerian workers also expect that by May they should start enjoying the new wage and I am sure the implementation has started from today and we also start counting the areas from today,” he added.
He said that as the Workers Day approaches, workers were also expecting the Federal Government to do the needful as it concerns workers’ welfare.
Also Mr. Uche Ekwe, Head of International, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, commended the President for signing the National Minimum Wage Bill.
“I say that Nigerian workers are happy about the signing into law the national minimum wage and we also hope that the state governors will also do the needful, ” he said.
He also noted that the leadership of the NLC will do a formal statement on the implementation by the President.
NAN
