Minimum Wage: Tinubu meets FG team as committee shelves talks; Minimum wage: Our 494k demand is not fixated _ TUC

The federal government’s team on the new minimum wage has met with President Bola Tinubu, while members of the organised labour also said they will continue to interface with their affiliates on resolutions reached at every meeting.

Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of Labour and Employment, disclosed to journalists at the Nicon Luxury hotel, Abuja on Tuesday that President Tinubu directed the federal government team to work out all the details on the minimum wage requirements to avoid further strikes.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, said the president had a meeting with the representatives of the federal government in the negotiation with the labour on the minimum wage.

The minister said the meeting was attended by George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF); Atiku Bagudu, minister of budget and national planning; Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, minister of state for labour and productivity, and Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited.

Idris said the president directed Edun to do the numbers and present the new minimum wage figures within two days, adding that the presentation would form the basis of negotiation.

The minister said Tinubu is committed to accepting the resolutions of the tripartite committee on the new minimum wage.

He added that the federal government is not against an increase in the minimum wage but wants to ensure that its promises are fulfilled.

Onyejeocha debunked claims that the federal government has not demonstrated enough seriousness towards resolving the minimum wage impasse

“Why will the federal government not be serious with the minimum wage issue? We have so many things to deal with, so we want to put this minimum wage issue behind us so that we can face other developmental challenges,” Onyejeocha said.

Speaking on why the negotiations are dragging, Segun Kadri DG Manufacturers Association of Nigeria said “We must understand that these are very difficult times to negotiate a new minimum wage because the economy is going through very turbulent times.”

“We are hopeful that it is better to consult properly to enable us to arrive at the wage that is acceptable to all.

“Do not forget that once we arrive at a minimum wage, it is going to be binding on all employers of labour for the next few years, so it is best we take some time and arrive at what is acceptable.

“We are looking forward to taking a holistic view of what is acceptable. It is not only the minimum wage, I mean something that determines how much you are able to pay, your operating environment, your cost of operation and the government also has to support the businesses to enable them operate profitably, so that they can also meet the wage demands,” Kadri said.

The organised labour said its NEC critically examined all the relevant issues, especially the content of the memorandum of understanding reached with the Federal Government at the meeting of Monday, the 3rd of June, 2024

Festus Osifo, the president of the Trade Union Congress has said the N494 thousand minimum wage demand is not a fixed wage, noting that the organised labour went into the negotiation table with its “best case scenario”.

Osifo who featured in an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday said the concerns of the labour is the value of the wages and not necessarily the amount stated.

He added that the organised labour arrived at the minimum wage given the economic conditions of the country, stressing that the President Bola Tinubu’s macroeconomic policies are straining the pockets of Nigerians, resulting in the wage review.

“We are not fixated on what we have proposed. The government knew. But there are principles you use in establishing what the right value should be,” Osifo said.

“When you are going for negotiation, you go with your best case scenario. We have gone with ours; it’s left with the government to come with theirs,” he added.

Recall the organised labour had initially proposed N615,000 as the new minimum wage before reducing it to N497,000 and now N494,000 while the government is working out what it would be able to afford.