THE Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu has described the assent by President Goodluck Jonathan of the New National Minimum Wage Act as another significant and sincere gesture of the present administration to ensure continued enhancement of the welfare of Nigerian workers.Chief Emeka Wogu said in an interview with journalists on the signing of the N18,000 minimum wage that the signing of the wage was not based on the fact that there was an existing strike notice by the Nigeria Labour Congress threatening to disrupt the 2011 general elections, but a demonstration of the commitment of President Goodluck Jonathan to improving the welfare of Nigerian workers.I want to tell you categorically that the signing of the New National Minimum Wage Bill was not based on the fact that there was an existing notice by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) but was based on the fact that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is a labour- friendly President and has always had the Nigerian workers in mind, the minister stressed.He emphasised that the present administration had done a lot for the Nigerian workforce considering the labour-friendly policies and programmes of the administration among which were the restoration of salary disparity in the Federal Civil Service through the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council and the need to ensure that workers earned a reasonable living wage.The minister stressed that Mr. President within the period of his tenure had equally ensured harmonious and peaceful industrial atmosphere by encouraging social dialogue involving government, employers and the organised labour in the spirit of tripartism.He stated that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was poised to tackle the issue of unemployment in Nigeria and that the Federal Executive Council had approved National Action Plan on Employment that had a provision for local content in order to enhance employment oppor-tunities.The President has equally signed into law Employee Compensation Act and from now, all programmes of government coming before the Federal Executive Council must indicate the local content job creation aspect, the minister added.Chief Wogu recalled that President Jonathan had directed the national minimum wage committee to conclude discussions on the new wage at a record time, bearing in mind that the last time such an exercise took place was in the year 2000, under the then administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.He stated that Nigerian workers had benefitted immensely from the present administration and should therefore reciprocate the gesture of President Goodluck Jonathan by voting massively for him during the Presidential election.I want to put it straight and urge Nigerian workers to reciprocate the good gesture of President Goodluck Jonathan by supporting this administration the way they have been supporting it and by also supporting the Goodluck/Sambo ticket and ensuring that all votes count and elections are violent- free in order to have credible elections, Wogu solicited.
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