- By Halimah Olamide
Amidst uncertainties over what the next minimum wage will be, President Bola Tinubu was silent on the amount even as he addressed the nation on Wednesday.
The Federal Government had proposed N62,000 while the organised labour has insisted on N250,000 as the new minimum wage.
“We have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with organized labour on a new national minimum wage. We shall soon send an executive bill to the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law for the next five years or less,” Tinubu said in this address
Saying that “I shall always listen to the people and will never turn my back on you,” the president it is necessary to repair the economy over the long run” so that everyone will have access to economic opportunity, fair pay and compensation for his endeavour and labour.
“As we continue to reform the economy, in this spirit, In the face of labour’s call for a national strike, we did not seek to oppress or crack down on the workers as a dictatorial government would have done. We chose the path of cooperation over conflict. No one was arrested or threatened. Instead, the labour leadership was invited to break bread and negotiate toward a good-faith resolution. Reasoned discussion and principled compromise are hallmarks of democracy.”
Workers had gone on strike last week shutting down critical national infrastructure including electricity.
The workers’ leadership had given till yesterday for the government to conclude on the negotiations before embarking on another strike.