The Federal Government has said it is optimistic that an agreement will be reached with the organised labour next week, over a new minimum wage.
The Ministers of Information and Labour gave the optimism on Thursday, following a closed-door session between President Bola Tinubu and the leaders of organised labour at the state house.
The meeting, which lasted about an hour, is expected to reconvene next week.
The meeting on the new minimum wage follows the president’s decision to have more engagement with stakeholders, before a decision is taken on the matter.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federal, some ministers, heads of agencies and aides to the president were also in attendance.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, the president expressed his concern for the welfare of Nigerian workers, but called for realistic expectations as regards the minimum wage.
“I pay attention to everything around me. A happy worker is a productive worker. And society depends on the productivity of the happy worker”, Tinubu was quoted as saying.
“You have to cut your coat according to available cloth. Before we can finalise on the minimum wage process, we have to look at the structure.
“Why must we adjust wages every five years? Why not two? Why not three years? What is a problem today, can be eased up tomorrow. We can take a surgical approach that is based on pragmatism and a deep understanding of all factors”.
The organised labour which consists of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), has maintained that its ₦250,000 demand and the ₦62,000 figure submitted by the tripartite committee for new minimum wage remain until after discussions with President Tinubu.
While labour insists on ₦250,000 as a new minimum wage, the committee had pegged it at ₦62,000.
But during the Thursday meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, the organised labour led by the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and his TUC counterpart, Festus Osifo, said nothing has changed about the demands.
Ajaero said the meeting – which lasted for about an hour and was later adjourned to next week – was not a negotiation and the two figures remain 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 probably and reconvene in the 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 amount N250,000 and N62,000 remains until we finish this conversation.”
According to the TUC boss, the labour delegation informed the President of the economic difficulties Nigerians are going through,” the TUC President also told journalists.
“In the meeting, we tried to put the issues on the table, issues that are bothering and biting Nigerians today. The economic difficulties and the value of the naira, how it has also 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 bulk stops at his table.”
