Labour demands to see signed copy of N18,000 Minimum Wage Act

Despite confirmation by President Goodluck Jonathan that he has signed the N18, 000 national minimum wage into law, the organised labour on Tuesday demanded to see the copy of the signed Act.Their demand stemmed from the fear that the president might have tampered with the original Act as agreed and passed by the National Assembly, especially to pacify and satisfy the state governors who are against the payment of N18, 000 minimum wage.The NLC feared that the executive arm might have included a clause in the Act passed by the National Assembly due to the pressure by the state governors who were agitating against the payment of the minimum wage at the state level.  During the meeting of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday, the NLC president, Comrade  Abdulwaheed Omar, exclusively told the Nigerian Tribune that the congress would not allow any extra-clause to be imported into the Act passed by the National Assembly by the executive arm of government.Though, Comrade Omar told the Nigerian Tribune that they would not want to take a final decision at the Monday CWC meeting because of their expected meeting with the president on Tuesday (yesterday), he emphasised that labour would not accept inclusion of any clause to favour the governors, order than what was passed by the National Assembly.All we want is for Mr. President to sign the N18, 000 Act as passed by the National Assembly, all other things will follow. We will not accept inclusion of any other clause, Omar said.He was speaking based on unconfirmed  report that the president might have yielded to the pressure from the governors not to sign the Act by including a clause that would enable  the state governments to pay whatever they wanted to pay their workers.Sources also said that the new Act signed by the president would allow state governments to negotiate what they could pay their workers.
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