The Federal Government on Monday in Abuja assured workers of speedy passage of the new National Minimum Wage.
Meanwhile, workers under the aegis of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) asked employers for a review of minimum monthly salary from N18, 000 to N65, 000.
Besides, they asked for N25, 000 minimum monthly pension for retirees and special pay package for workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
President Muhammadu Buhari in a message to workers on the occasion marking the 2017 May Day Rally with the theme, “Labour Relations in Economic Recession: An Appraisal” said: “I am happy to inform you that Government will give expeditious consideration to the proposal contained in the Technical Committee’s Report which was submitted to it on April 6, 2017.
“Government will take necessary steps to implement the final recommendation of the Main Government/Labour Committee as it relates to the setting up the new National Minimum Wage Committee and the needed palliatives.
“This is in order to reduce the discomfort currently being experienced by the Nigerian working class.
“I want to assure you that government will continue to do all at its disposal to better the lots of all Nigerians and more importantly to provide a commensurate welfare for all Nigerian workers,” he said.
He said that he was aware that the economic recession in the country has huge implication for the seamless conduct of industrial relations.
He noted that this arises from the fact that the economic recession by its nature was characterised by a substantial risk of the “vicious circles of low- productivity.”
He said others are mass retrenchment of workers and closure of workplaces due to high cost of doing business, unregulated subcontracting and outsourcing with its consequences on welfare of workers among others.
According to him, in the face of these inevitable challenges, you have shown maturity and understanding in spite of the situation in which we found ourselves.
“I strongly salute your great sense of patriotism and loyalty to the country,” he said.
President Buhari however, called for effective deployment of labour relations, an amalgamated approach that would be used in creating a conducive work environment that would attract foreign investment for wealth creation.
He called on government, workers and employers to work together to put out the economy from the recession.
“Therefore, I called on the organised labour to continue to partner with this administration by resorting to social dialogue as an indispensable tool for conflict resolution
“Today, we stand in solitary with workers all over the world to commemorate this historic Day which marked a turning point in the economies of the nations and the welfare of the working class,” he added.
He commended the organised labour for their support and encouragement to the administration’s fight against corruption which was the bane of sustainable economic development.
He added that, “my commitment to fight against corruption is total and irreversible. We must fight corruption before it destroys us.
