Senate Will Quickly Consider New Minimum Wage Bill

In the statement, Senator Plang gave Nigerians reassurance that the 10th Senate and, consequently, the 10th National Assembly, were committed to improving working conditions in the nation and combating the current high level of poverty.

The Senate announced on Friday that it will swiftly consider the anticipated new minimum wage bill from the executive branch of government for improved worker welfare and national industrial harmony.

Senator Diket Plang, chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Employment, Labour, and Productivity, revealed the Senate’s strategy for swiftly considering the measure once it was received in a statement.

In the statement, Senator Plang gave Nigerians reassurance that the 10th Senate and, consequently, the 10th National Assembly, were committed to improving working conditions in the nation and combating the current high level of poverty.

The Federal Government and Organised Labour should be commended for their efforts in reaching an agreement to launch the appropriate machinery to review the present Nigerian Minimum Wage as outlined in the memorandum of understanding they signed.

“Once negotiations on the subject are over and the measure is sent to the National Assembly for enactment, the Senate Committee on Employment, Labour, and Productivity, which I chair, is ready to focus quickly on the passage of a new Act.

Read also: Senate pledges to adopt the new minimum wage legislation quickly

He praised the Federal Government for taking preemptive measures to stop workers from going on a statewide strike last Tuesday, but he issued a warning to all parties concerned not to break their promises.

Nigerians, and members of this committee in particular, are grateful that the federal government, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) agreed into a memorandum of understanding to prevent the then-imminent industrial unrest.

However, he emphasised that all parties concerned should refrain from breaking any of the agreements made.

The committee will take the necessary legislative action to support efforts to improve the working conditions of Nigerian workers, including the payment of a living wage as enshrined in the decent work agenda, he continued. The committee is committed to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) principle of decent work.