The Nigerian government says dialogue remains the best tool for settling labour disputes. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige made the declaration on Tuesday, at the weekly Ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team.
He said through dialogue the government has in the last four years averted over 4000 impending strike actions.
“We have been very proactive in handling industrial disputes. We have conciliated about 4000 labour disputes, more than that figure I think about 4300 or so since I came into that ministry and you don’t hear about that.
“Once we get notice of an impending strike, we call them to come, we discuss and we resolve the matter. Some of them are not very big unions, especially in the oil and gas sector. But you don’t hear about that because we are forever committed to doing what we are supposed to do.
“The Ministry of Labour holistically conciliates but we don’t make those ones public because an agreement is reached almost immediately and the agreement ground is easy and you won’t see a strike. Once you write to us of a pre-action, (Trade Dispute Notice) once you do that, you have exercised your right and the rest is left for us.” He said.
Dr Ngige said that the Ministry has Labour Dispute Desks and Rapid Response Teams in all the States of the federation that help in addressing industrial disputes.
Pay Rise
He said modalities are already in the pipeline to give a pay rise to civil servants especially those that enjoy peculiarity allowance, adding that the authorities are just waiting for the President’s approval to implement.
“We are already addressing the envisaged challenges associated with the current high cost of living. We are handling the issue of a pay rise, and some of the Ministries Departments and Agencies are doing that; even for Federal Civil Servants, there is a peculiar allowance that is envisioned for them.
“The Presidential Committee on Salaries has approved it and we have sent that to the President and once he approves it, implementation will start for them. Other people in the public service are also taking a queue, some are giving five or ten percent pay rise,” he said.
The Labour Minister disclosed that Nigeria is strongly collaborating with the International Organization for Migration to prevent illegal migration by job seekers.
He also said efforts are being made to revive textile industries in the country and the Central Bank of Nigeria has in place special funds for cotton growers, so as to local source raw materials for the textile industries.
Dominica Nwabufo
