Minimum Wage: Fresh Crisis Looms As Legislature Plans Recess

Plans by the FG and the Organised Labour to come to terms over the new minimum wage has again encountered another debacle.

Sources at the National Assembly told PUNCH on Sunday that the legislature plans to go on another recess ahead of the presentation of an executive bill on a new minimum wage by the presidency, which is one of the agreements reached between the government and the worker unions.

The National Assembly is on Christmas and New Year recess and will resume on Tuesday.

While the Presidency plans to transmit National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Bill to the National Assembly on January 23, it was gathered that the lawmakers might go on another recess by January 24.

He said, “The lawmakers will close on that day to allow members to participate in electioneering, ahead of general elections which will begin in February.”

The Federal Government and the organised labour had on Tuesday reached an agreement that the Presidency would send the minimum wage bill to the National Assembly after their meetings.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, who presided over the meeting, had assured the labour leaders that the Federal Government would send the bill to the National Assembly on January 23, after the lawmakers’ resumption from their Yuletide recess.

Barring any change of plan, both chambers of the National Assembly are expected to adjourn plenary after five sittings. The PUNCH gathered that they would hold plenary on Wednesday, January 16, and Thursday, January 17, before adjourning till Tuesday, January 22.

Upon resumption on January 22, the lawmakers plan to sit on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before proceeding on a three-week break to enable most of them to participate in their re-election campaigns.