Senate Plan To Give New Minimum Wage Legislation Prompt Consideration

Senator Diket Plang

The Senate said that it will quickly consider the anticipated new minimum wage law from the executive branch of the government on Friday.

The Senate Committee on Employment, Labour, and Productivity's chairman, Senator Diket Plang (APC, Plateau Central), made this information public in a statement.

Sen. Plang reassured Nigerians that the 10th Senate and, consequently, the 10th National Assembly, are dedicated to enhancing the living standards of the country's workers and addressing the severe poverty that currently exists.

He said: "Efforts of the federal government and organised labour for agreeing to set in motion the 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 a bill is transmitted to the National Assembly for enactment."

Plang cautioned the parties concerned not to break agreements made while praising the federal government for taking aggressive measures to prevent a statewide walkout by workers last week.

"Nigerians, and particularly members of this committee, are happy that the then-looming industrial unrest was averted by the 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.

The committee, he continued, is dedicated to the decent work agenda set forth by the International Labour Organization and would take the required legislative action to support initiatives aimed at enhancing Nigerians' working circumstances, including the payment of a living wage.