No timeline to begin implementation of minimum wage – Labour

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The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) has said there is no timeline on when the Federal Government would begin the full implementation of minimum wage to workers on all levels.

The General Secretary, JNPSNC Alade Lawal, said this in an interview in Abuja.

Lawal said that he was hopeful that both the federal government and the organised labour would arrive at a decision soon.

He said that negotiation with the government team may resume in a couple of days.

Lawal said: “It is still as it was. On the part of labour we are talking to our people, we are briefing them. You can call it mobilisation if you like. With the way they are working behind the scene we may be back to the negotiation table in a couple of days.

“This is not something that somebody can put a timeline. It is negotiation and when you negotiate you have fair deal from your side that you believe should be the ruling wage. They have their positions base on the numbers in the books.

“So when you have two sides of a coin and you are meeting you can’t put a timeline but I want to believe that if you follow the trends of discussions, follow the trends of development, follow the trend of sincerity on the part of government, you will agree with me that we are moving very close to either arriving t something or let us see how it goes.”

He dismissed the payment of minimum wage to workers on levels 1-6, stressing that as far as labour was concerned, the federal government had not paid minimum wage.

“As far as we are concerned they have not paid anything. It has no effect,” he added.