To respond to some of the Issue in
the Eagle square on Monday 1ST MAY 2017 during commemoration of WORKERS DAY is the minister of labor
and employment DR. CHRIS NGIGE and A
CORRESPONDENT (Who poses the question):
CORRESPONDENT: How would you describe the incident between the government
and the Labor Union in the Eagle Square?
DR. CHRIS NGIGE: We can see it as way of demonstrating that the
workers are not happy over their welfare, though it was mild issue because it
is something one can get from the labor Union which is common. Government is
trying their best but whenever one is doing something according to rules; the
other party might say that you are not fast. This is why when things involve
many partners; we have to really take it courteously. And this is best level
federal government I have seen, I worked as a civil servant in the federal ministry
of Health for eighteen years and I have been a state governor and had managed
workers, I have also been a legislator.
CORRESPONDENT: Now, when many parties are involved what happens?
DR. CHRIS NGIGE: This is where one treads very courteously and make
sure as to International Labor
Organization (ILO) convention which is the gathering convention for all
works both for employer and employee. So you have to carry everyone along.
CORRESPONDENT: one of the
things about the workers was that there was adequate representation of government
in terms of such magnitude of the identity of the President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria present there with His Vice president?
DR. CHRIS NGIGE: But that is not the major Issue, we have representation
of government from number three man in the country. The Senate president was
there, number four man in the country in person of the Speaker house of
representative was there and I am the minister of the Federal Republic
representing Mr. President. If for other reasons could be clone, the president
and vice president were not there, and the Senate President and Speaker are
there. Also at three ministers were there and the head of Civil service was
there.
CORRESPONDENT: But the workers were waiting for an announcement said we
got an increase in salaries?
DR. CHRIS NGIGE: But I am telling you that this is what we call
tripartite negotiation; the issue of minimum wage which is the centre of the
matter, and as a result we must do this tripartite negotiation because the
issue of minimum wage is in Nigerian constitution which is found in the
exclusive legislative list. (Second schedule of the constitution Item 34),
issues of Labor matters and issues of the minimum wage of the federation or any
part thereof; so this law is a national law and will bind the federal
government, the state and local government, not only will it involve only
government because government has one leg of tripartite; it also involve the employers
represented by the Nigerian Employers Constitution
Assembly (NECA) and that is the recognized employers Association for
Nigeria; it also involves federation of Labor Unions because Nigeria is a
federation. In Nigeria, we are Federation and Federation we recognized in Nigeria
today is Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC), but
it will not make for International Labor
Organization ILOs that are not even affiliated Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) and should not be involved in this negotiation. And if you still go to employers,
you will involve the Manufacturers Association
of Nigeria as well as NASINA and
small and medium enterprises scales owners
of Nigeria. So these are people that are being captured in these big net,
before you can now do the tripartite plus, because you are not doing it to the
three partners rather it is now tripartite plus; other people are now involved
and you also are involved because you are an employer example when I come to
your house now I will see a house maid in your house.
CORRESPONDENT: But there should not be nonchalant attitudes towards
government implementation
DR. CHRIS NGIGE: No, we have finished the technical frame work and I
have now done this composition which I am telling you, and what government is
now doing is at the last laugh of putting things like square pegs in a square
hole; we want to bring in people who know about labor administration, about
work, about finance, about monument.
CORRESPONDENT: How do you see the delight of the day?
DR. CHRIS NGIGE: No, they know we held a meeting last week with them
and we now finish this composition, so we are transiting to government. Government
will now do the announcement, the pick of the requisite persons; government
experience must be there and pick on that person.
CORRESPONDENT: Are we looking as at two weeks, three weeks, and one month
so that we hear about it?
DR. CHRIS NGIGE: I will not give you a time frame because it is not an
executive council; it is from the Federal Executive council that the
announcement will now be made and the people who are going to complete the
procedure will start work. And do not forget that it is in legislation that we
have what we call in a labor parlance “A
Collective Bargaining Agreement” (CBA), where everybody must agree that we
are going to pay this, the state governors will be represented because they are
the states. The NASINA and others
will be represented because they are now going to pay and the people will pay. Everybody
will now start the negotiation and finish the crystallization as we send it to
National Assembly. Then, the national assembly will now enact it into as a bill,
and they will debate it even before public hearing and from there it comes back
to begin assent. The national Minimum wage is a National Law, it is not a federal
government Law as well as not a law that binds only the federal government. If it
is a law that binds only federal government, we have no problem, we would have
gone ahead.
CORRESPONDENT: Nigerians had
been mourning and groaning about the hardship that is experienced in the country
especially with the increase in the pump price of fuel; they had expected
government to immediately take drastic measures to increase salaries of workers
because of the astronomical increase in the prices of commodities, what will
you tell them?
DR. CHRIS NGIGE: This is a government that came and just went into
recession because of economic pillages and looting that happened in the past. I
tell you the workers are protesting about non pay of promotion, salaries,
arrears, retirement benefits, death benefits, relocation allowances, and this
our relocation allowances they had not been paid since 2008; in the last nine
years, out of the cumulative amount that being talked about today which runs
into Billions about 63 Billion and
our own government can only knowing about 15%
of it. The other remaining percentage were accumulated by the previous administrative
government and government is a continue process. And that is why also government
had put in place the bailout fund, so that workers can be happy. As government
bailout from one, two, three etc until we are done and that is why we will like
you to participate on the fund and that also we did not retrench any worker, we
did not cut or shade any weight. If government had labor issues the first thing
they will do is to shade weight, do retrenchment and there is a provision for
that in the Labor Law according to Constitution of the federation as they do
what is called redundancy. But the government did not do all these, I think
they are very friendly government and let the workers relax and were thinking
for them as well as taking care for them. They form a large cross A vocal-vocal
group in the country and they were taken care of because any money that flows
into the hand of a worker goes into the hand of so many people like children
school fees, food, Driver’s salary etc. so we have multiplied effect.
CORRESPONDENT: Thank so much DR. CHRIS NGIGE for participating on this
workers day commemoration event
DR. CHRIS NGIGE: Thank you my Dear.
NEWS REPORTER: ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD
CONTACT: +2348186388641
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