FG Will Put Smiles On Workers’ Faces Before 2019 Elections — Ngige

The Federal Government has said it look into the new minimum wage for workers before the February 2019 elections.

Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, said this when he, alongside the Chairman of the National Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee, Amma Pepple, addressed State House correspondents on the outcome of their closed door meeting with the president, on Friday.

He said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is a labour-friendly one and will put smiles on the faces of Nigerian workers before 2019 elections.

According to Ngige, the meeting of the Economic Management Team, scheduled for September 18 is solely to discuss the new minimum wage.

He said: “Next week, we have an economic management team meeting on Tuesday, specially dedicated to the issue of national minimum wage to be chaired by the vice-president.

“For anybody to say that this government is stalling or playing games will be uncharitable because we have done what we are supposed to do.

“We have the interest of workers at heart; we have not retrenched anybody; there is no embargo on employment, there is no embargo on promotions; we are paying backlog of promotional arrears.

“So, this government is a labour-friendly government and we must put smiles on their faces before the next elections.