The payment of N35,000 Wage Award to public federal workers will resume this week, the government yesterday said.
Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mrs. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, stated this during a meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Abuja.
The meeting was called as a response to Labour’s two-week ultimatum over claims of non-implementation of the agreements reached with them by the government in October last year.
The minister asked the Labour centres to withdraw the ultimatum.
She told the Labour leaders that the government had stepped up efforts to complete the implementation of that agreement.
She said: “It is true we entered into an agreement, but the government has shown good faith, and considering the urgency of the issue at hand, I called this meeting because dialogue has always been the best way out, and we are all for the well-being of our people. I am here to show good cause on why some agreement has not been met.”
On the CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) powered-buses programme, the Director and Chief Executive of the Presidential CNG initiative, Michael Oluwagbemi, who addressed the meeting virtually, stated that the government had made 70% payment for the procurement of new CNG buses and CNG kits.
Oluwagbemi hinted that some of the buses were ready and that they plan to start assembling others locally. It also includes tricycles between March and April.