Minimum Wage: Court Issues Deadline for FG, Labour to Conclude Negotiations

Pat Stevens/

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, in Abuja, has ordered both the Federal Government and the organised labour to submit a report of their negotiations on the new minimum wage by January 30, 2019.

Justice Sanusi Kado had on November 2, 2018 adjourned the case till Thursday after issuing an ex parte order stopping the labour strike which was scheduled for November 6.

The strike was however suspended by labour on November 5 after both parties agreed to recommend N30,000 to President Muhammadu Buhari as the new minimum wage regime.

At the resumed hearing in the case today, the three defendants – the National Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum – were absent and were also not represented by any lawyer.

But the plaintiffs – the Federal Government and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami – were represented by their legal team led by Mr. Emmanuel Omonowa.

Following the absence of the defence teams in court, Omonowa informed the judge that based on the order made by the court on November 2, negotiations on the new minimum wage were ongoing.

He, therefore, pleaded with the court to give more time to the parties in the suit to enable them to continue with the negotiations and later give a report on the negotiation efforts to the court.

“Pursuant to Order 42(1) of the National Industrial Court Rules, the court should allow parties to see the possibility of amicable settlement of the matter,” Omonowa said.

Following Omonowa’s request, Justice restated his November 2 order restraining the labour from embarking on the planned strike and warned all the parties to the suit against taking any step that cause disruptions in the case.

He then adjourned till January 30, 2019, for the parties to report to the court on whether or not they had settled amicably or would still be interested in going on with the case.

0