The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have upheld their demand for N250,000 and the N62,000 amount proposed by the tripartite committee for a new minimum wage until after negotiations with President Bola Tinubu.
While labour insists on N250,000 as the new minimum wage, the committee has set it at N62,000.
However, during a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, organised labour, led by NLC President Joe Ajaero and his TUC colleague Festus Osifo, stated that their demands had not changed.
Ajaero explained that the meeting, which lasted about an hour and was later postponed until next week, was not a negotiation, and the two figures remained on the table.
“In the real sense, it wasn’t a negotiation but a discussion, and we have had that discussion. We agreed to look at the real terms and reconvene next week. So, that’s where we are because we didn’t go down there to talk naira and kobo,” Ajaero said.
“At least there were some basic issues that we agreed on. The status quo in terms of the amounts N250,000 and N62,000 remains until we finish this conversation.”
According to the TUC leader, the labour delegation informed the President of the economic difficulties Nigerians are experiencing.
“In the meeting, we tried to put the issues on the table, issues that are troubling and affecting Nigerians today. The economic difficulties and the value of the naira, how it has eroded, and how these have affected the prices of commodities and goods in the market.
“So, we tried to put these before Mr President because he is the president of the country and the buck stops with him,” the TUC leader said.
“We have had all the conversations with all his agents, but today we said let us meet with the father of the country and have this conversation and make the arguments that labour always makes. We made all the arguments, the economic analysis, macro, micro, fiscal and monetary issues.
“So, we put everything forward and in the end, the President made his remarks as the president and we all agreed to go back, internalise it, have some conversations, and in one week’s time, we will return and continue the meeting.”
Optimistic Government
Meanwhile, the federal government hopes that the standoff over the new minimum wage would be addressed by next week.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Malagi, and his Labour and Employment (state) counterpart, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, stated this following a closed-door meeting between President Tinubu and labour leaders.
Remember that the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage, which completed its work in June, provided two amounts to the President: the organised business sector and the government team offered N62,000, while organised labour wanted N250,000.
The debate over a uniform value has caused the President to defer delivering any figure to the National Assembly through the Executive Bill, instead choosing to meet important parties before doing so.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have upheld their demand for N250,000 and the N62,000 amount proposed by the tripartite committee for a new minimum wage until after negotiations with President Bola Tinubu.
While labour insists on N250,000 as the new minimum wage, the committee has set it at N62,000.
However, during a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, organised labour, led by NLC President Joe Ajaero and his TUC colleague Festus Osifo, stated that their demands had not changed.
Ajaero explained that the meeting, which lasted about an hour and was later postponed until next week, was not a negotiation, and the two figures remained on the table.
“In the real sense, it wasn’t a negotiation but a discussion, and we have had that discussion. We agreed to look at the real terms and reconvene next week. So, that’s where we are because we didn’t go down there to talk naira and kobo,” Ajaero said.
“At least there were some basic issues that we agreed on. The status quo in terms of the amounts N250,000 and N62,000 remains until we finish this conversation.”
According to the TUC leader, the labour delegation informed the President of the economic difficulties Nigerians are experiencing.
“In the meeting, we tried to put the issues on the table, issues that are troubling and affecting Nigerians today. The economic difficulties and the value of the naira, how it has eroded, and how these have affected the prices of commodities and goods in the market.
“So, we tried to put these before Mr President because he is the president of the country and the buck stops with him,” the TUC leader said.
“We have had all the conversations with all his agents, but today we said let us meet with the father of the country and have this conversation and make the arguments that labour always makes. We made all the arguments, the economic analysis, macro, micro, fiscal and monetary issues.
“So, we put everything forward and in the end, the President made his remarks as the president and we all agreed to go back, internalise it, have some conversations, and in one week’s time, we will return and continue the meeting.”
Optimistic Government
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government hopes that the standoff over the new minimum wage would be addressed by next week.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Malagi, and his Labour and Employment (state) counterpart, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, stated this following a closed-door meeting between President Tinubu and labour leaders.
Remember that the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage, which completed its work in June, provided two amounts to the President: the organised business sector and the government team offered N62,000, while organised labour wanted N250,000.
The debate over a uniform value has caused the President to defer delivering any figure to the National Assembly through the Executive Bill, instead choosing to meet important parties before doing so.