The organised labour has called on the government to conclude negotiation on the new minimum wage implementation this week because labour leaders will be attending the 2019 International Labour Conference scheduled for Geneva, Switzerland, between June 10 and 21.
The President of the Trade Union Congress, Bobboi Kaigama, told Punch in an exclusive interview that both parties had been working behind the scene on what to present when negotiation begins.
He said, “Behind the scene, our people are working on the assignment. When we sit, we will bring our thoughts together. By the end of the week, most of us will not be around because we will be travelling out of the country for the International Labour Conference. We must conclude before we travel. We are working to ensure that the major work is concluded before next week.”
Asked if a few days would be enough for a detailed work to be done before the time, Bobboi said he was hopeful since both parties had been doing a lot since the committee was inaugurated.
He added, “Detailed job will be done because we have already been working behind the scene. It is just a matter of making presentations and agreeing on issues involved and making them available to the government. Both teams have been doing their home work. We will expedite actions on our proposals. I am not the chairman of the committee, but on the side of labour, we want to make sure that we conclude the job before the end of this week.”
While acknowledging the optimism of the TUC president, the Secretary of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, Alade Lawal, told Punch in a separate interview that such optimism would be met if government came to the meeting with open hands.
He said, “It is possible if the government from the beginning of the negotiation comes with open mind. We all know that the government will come from the angle of saving money, while labour will want the best negotiation for its members. That may introduce challenges that can demand more time to work.
“Both parties may be required to go back to the drawing board. The expectations are high from workers and we hope we can wrap up things quickly as labour wants it. It is good to have high hopes for quick negotiation, it is not a bad idea. But it depends on government openness. The outcome of the inaugural meeting will determine a lot of expectations.”
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