Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has assured that Federal Government will expedite action to ensure that a new minimum wage is ready by the second quarter of the year.

Osinbajo made this known at the 2018Workers Day celebration in Abuja, yesterday, he also assured stakeholders that delays in the payment of salaries and pensions would end, as the welfare of workers would be prioritised.

The VP was hopeful that the “Tripartite Committee, comprising government, labour, and the private sector, will expedite its assignment, to enable the Federal Government to present an executive bill on a new national minimum wage to the National Assembly for passage into law, as soon as possible. In the meantime, the Federal Government and the state governments will continue to work together to improve the conditions of workers across the country.”

And while the new wage is still in the works, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), yesterday, insisted that all employers across the country must pay it. Its president, Ayuba Wabba, said the payment would no longer be restricted to employers that have 50 workers or above. He also stated that the labour movement would resist renegotiation of the wage by state governments or employers in the private sector.

Wabba urged the Federal Government to ensure federal allocations are not released to states and local governments that refuse to implement the new wage, warning: “We are battle-ready against public and private organisations that would refuse to conform to the new minimum wage. At our disposal is the power of our votes! We shall ensure that governments that refuse to pay the new minimum wage will not receive the support of the working class, pensioners and their families.”

He argued that the N66,500 being demanded by labour as national minimum wage would at best meet only the basic needs of the average Nigerian worker, if inflation is kept at a single digit.

The President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Bobboi Kaigama, on his part, declared that labour would resist the five per cent petrol tax levy inserted into the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB).

He faulted the idea of a single regulator for the Nigerian oil and gas industry, saying: “We reiterate that government should ensure that the oil and gas industry operates in line with international best practices in the interest of the nation, more particularly, on technical and commercial regulations. The need for two independent regulators as obtained prior to the proposed PIGB, one for the upstream and one for the downstream sectors, (should) be maintained.”

He called for the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to superintend the downstream sector, having had the relevant experience, structure and personnel, while the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) oversees the upstream sector.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) also issued its May Day message, calling on the National Assembly to put in place legislations addressing disregard by indigenous and marginal field operators for the constitution, extant labour laws and international conventions to which Nigeria is signatory.

In a statement to mark the day, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, promised: “The National Assembly will give expeditious passage to the Minimum Wage Bill whenever it is transmitted by the executive, and any other initiative that will promote the welfare of the Nigerian worker. We will support it wholeheartedly.”

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), meanwhile, felicitated with workers in the country, calling on labour and trade unions to “continue ongoing dialogue with the government aimed at improving salaries and general welfare. ‘‘In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party celebrated the workers “for staying positive and being a partner in nation-building, as well as contributing towards efforts to take the country to its deserved heights.”

At the celebration in Agege Stadium, Ambode stressed that agitations and struggles must be focused on realistic goals pursued in appreciation of the competing interests government has to continually balance. He urged labour leaders to mobilise their members to collect Permanent Voter Cards (PVC). It is imperative for the labour movement to see itself as a constructive partner of the government in ensuring peace and harmony in the society before, during, and after the conduct of the forthcoming general elections, said the governor.