Senate urges FG to continue payment of N35,000 wage award

Senate has urged the Federal Government to proceed the outgo of N35,000 wage grant to workers, pursuing the yet-to-be-concluded negotiations connected minimum wage.

President of Senate, Godswill Akpabio said this astatine the extremity of a four-hour closed-door gathering with enactment of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and immoderate Ministers implicit planned concern enactment by the union.

Akpabio besides appealed to the national to shelve the projected onslaught enactment successful the involvement of Nigerians and the nation.

“We person been making entreaty and asked the NLC and TUC to shelve the projected onslaught and instrumentality to the negotiating array to resoluteness the issue.

“I entreaty that the onslaught beryllium suspended for negotiations to proceed successful the involvement of Nigerians and the nation.”

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said that government’s presumption connected the wage grant was that it should proceed the outgo until the negotiations for the minimum wage is concluded.

“The presumption of Government is that the Federal Government volition proceed to wage its workers the wage grant of N35,000 that was started successful Oct 2023 until a caller wage authorities is instituted.”

He said helium was optimistic that labour would suspend the projected strike, pursuing the lengthy speech with the enactment of the National Assembly, organised labour and the national authorities delegation.

He said that Nigeria could not spend onslaught astatine this infinitesimal fixed the challenges faced connected the economy.

Idris said each hands indispensable beryllium connected platform to guarantee prosperity of the federation arsenic onslaught was not the champion enactment astatine this point.

“And we person pleaded with labour to spot reasons with the Federal Government and everybody portion the onslaught cannot proceed successful the involvement of each body.”

The curate said that authorities was delicate to the request of labour and called connected the unions to spot reasons to heed to the petition of government.

He said that Nigeria could not spend the outgo of N9.5 trillion further fiscal load based connected labours” request of N494,000 request made by labour arsenic minimum wage for workers.

However, President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr Festus Osifo said some parties were alert of what the issues were.

He said the enactment of the national did bash person powerfulness to telephone disconnected the strike, saying that determination were processes progressive successful suspension of an concern action.

“We person listened to them, we volition instrumentality the petition of the National Assembly enactment to our organs, due to the fact that we don’t person powerfulness to telephone disconnected strike.

“The powerfulness to telephone disconnected strikes lies with our organs, who would beryllium to decide.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the gathering had successful attendance, Secretary to Government of the Federation, George Akume.

Others are Ministers of Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, Science and Technology Uche Nnaji.

Others were Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi, Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan and the President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Joe Ajaero.