Contrary to widespread reports over the media that the Federal Government is going to start implementation of a new national minimum wage by July, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said the conception was wrong.

Leader of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), trade union side, Comrade Olakunle Olaitan said it was the issue of relativity and the wide disparity between permanent secretaries and directors in the civil service that was resolved.

The Federal Government had over a week ago set up a committee to address complaints of federal workers protesting the various discrepancies in wages of workers in the different agencies of government.

Making the clarification, the spokesman of NLC Comrade Onah Iduh said what President Goodluck Jonathan announced was the "settlement of the dispute on the gap between what permanent secretaries earn and that of directors and other civil servants."

On his part, Comrade Olaitan said even though an announcement has not been made on the national minimum wage yet, the committee had completed its work and "the issue of relativity has been substantially settled to the satisfaction of everybody. The issues in dispute have been settled and the wide disparity has also been substantially harmonised," he added.

NLC also praised President Jonathan for a speedy resolution of the crisis and called on him to ensure a speedy actualisation of an enhanced national minimum wage.

"It is a great feat and it indicates that Jonathan is a man of his words because during the May Day celebration, he said the dispute would be settled in three months but in less than one month we have seen it," the union's spokesman said.