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Minimum Wage: Labour Insists on Rejecting Minor Increase to N60,000 |
The organised labour has declared its intention to reject any minor increase to the N60,000 initially proposed by the federal government as the new minimum wage.
An agreement was reached on Monday between the labour leadership and the federal government's team for a new minimum wage that would be "higher than N60,000."
However, last night on Channels Television's Politics Today, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) president, Festus Osifo, stated that organised labour is not adamant about N494,000, but rather seeks a significant amount.
Osifo, when prompted to state the exact amount they would agree upon, emphasized that the tripartite committee needs to demonstrate commitment and propose an economically viable figure that aligns with the current inflationary trends.
"We've also communicated that we're not going to sit down and accept incremental additions of N1, N2, N3,000 like before, and we've received some assurances that they will propose something substantial," he remarked.
He mentioned that the new minimum wage should have the same purchasing power as N30,000 did in 2019 and N18,000 in 2014.
Organised labour initiated an indefinite strike on Monday due to the government's reluctance to approve a new minimum wage exceeding N60,000.
Nevertheless, the strike was suspended for a week yesterday after the extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and TUC.
Reasons for Suspending Strike for One Week – NLC President
NLC president Joe Ajaero, while presenting the NEC meeting's communique to the press on Tuesday, explained that the strike suspension for one week starting today is to give the federal government time to commit to a definitive national minimum wage, reverse the electricity tariff increase to N66/kwh, and eliminate the unfair classification of electricity consumers into bands.
He stated that the labour leadership is tasked with maintaining dialogue with the government to negotiate and achieve favorable results for Nigerian workers and citizens.
Ajaero instructed all affiliated unions and state councils to suspend the nationwide indefinite strike and promptly return to work.
The decision to suspend the strike followed President Tinubu's pledge to increase the new minimum wage beyond N60,000.
Regarding the agreement with the government on Monday, Ajaero expressed, "Concerning the electricity tariff hike and classification: The NEC is profoundly dissatisfied with the government's inaction and the absence of definitive measures to revert the electricity tariff hike and end the discriminatory classification of electricity consumers into bands.
"The NEC reiterates that these matters are essential for reducing the financial strain on Nigerian workers and the populace. The hike in electricity tariffs and the discriminatory classification are intolerable and must be resolved in conjunction with the wage increment."
Tinubu Directs Edun to Calculate New Minimum Wage Costs Within 48 Hours
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday instructed Finance Minister Wale Edun to determine the financial implications of a new minimum wage within the next two days.
This directive was given during a meeting with the federal government's negotiation team at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
After the meeting, Information and National Orientation Minister Mohammed Idris informed reporters that the negotiation parties and organised labour are collaborating to establish a new wage for Nigerians within a week.
"We are all committed to working diligently over the next week to finalize a new wage for Nigeria that is agreeable, sustainable, and realistic," he said.
Idris mentioned that the president has directed the government negotiators, along with representatives from the organised private sector and state governments, to collaborate on a new wage award that is affordable, sustainable, and realistic for Nigerians.
"We gathered to address all concerns; the president has tasked the finance minister to crunch the numbers and report back within today and tomorrow so that we can have the data ready for negotiations with labour," Idris stated.
He also conveyed the current administration's resolve to adhere to the committee's agreements with labour.
"The president is committed to following the committee's recommendations. He is also focused on the welfare of Nigerians," he added.
The strike paralyzed the nation's economic activities, closing banks, schools, hospitals, and government offices.
During its session yesterday, the Senate labeled the action as economic sabotage.
It highlighted that the power grid shutdown and the disruption of Hajj flights were acts of economic sabotage rather than a protest for a new minimum wage.
The Senate decided to introduce an executive bill to prevent labour unions from engaging in such actions, which will be incorporated into the new national minimum wage Act.
Following a motion by the Senate Committee on Labour chairman, Senator Diket Plang (APC, Plateau Central), the Senate urged the federal government to hasten the new minimum wage process
