Organised Labour has faulted the pronouncement of Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige that the federal government would only be able to pay the minimum wage if it retrenched some workers.
Ngige declared last week that the federal government would not be able to meet the demand of organised labour on the percentage for consequential adjustment of the ₦30,000 new minimum wage owing to dwindling revenue.
Reacting to the statement, Labour said Ngige was merely expressing a personal opinion when he said that the number of workers in the federal government’s payroll was very high and the only way to meet labour’s demand for pay rise was to retrench some workers or sack those that were redundant.
President of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Quadri Olaleye said the minister might have expressed his opinion, which certainly was not that of President Muhammadu Buhari or the federal government’s position.
“This is the personal view of the minister; it is not the position of Mr President or the federal government’s. It is merely his personal opinion which cannot be taken as the government’s decision. We can only wait and hear from his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari before we can know the stand of the administration,” Olaleye said.
The TUC President, who spoke to newsmen on the protracted negotiation for the minimum wage, said labour would only respond to the president’s position on the minimum wage issue.