Federal Government has given an insight into the composition of the
National Minimum Wage Committee and the criteria for selecting members.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who was
speaking at an interactive session with newsmen in his office, revealed
that government has appointed Chairman of National Salaries, Incomes and
Wages Commission (NSIWC) as committee secretary.
“The chairman must be somebody with good standing in the Nigerian
society; neutral background, who doesn’t belong to any political party.
He must have knowledge of labour administration, either as a top public
servant or an employer,” said Ngige.
He, however, assured that the committee will be constituted before
the end of this month and added that the chairman would be announced
during the inauguration.
The minister also explained composition of the 29-member committee to
include; Federal Government (seven), Governors’ Forum (six), labour
(eight) and employers, represented by Nigerian Employers’ Consultative
Association (NECA), (eight).
He, however, denied that the delay in constituting the committee was
caused by government and said the labour movement and employers’
association were yet to submit lists of their nominees.
“For the federal government, the technical committee recommended
eight slots and three for the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, another
principal employer.
“But, the federal government conceded three of their positions to the
governors’ forum, making theirs six; one governor per geo-political
zone because, hitherto, the governors had complained that they were not
being consulted enough on minimum wage.
“They alluded to the fact that, in the 2011 minimum wage, they were
not adequately consulted. Therefore, this time around, the federal
government has shed some of its allocation for the governors’ forum.
“So, the federal government will nominate five ministers and top
government officials as well as the chairman and secretary, to join them
on government side,” Ngige stated.