To Reconvene Next Week After Consultations
By Halimah Olamide
The meeting on minimum wage between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress ended inconclusive on Thursday.
After hours of meeting with President Bola Tinubu and senior members of his cabinet, labour leaders led by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress Joe Ajaero and his Trade Union Congress Festus Osifo, it was resolved that both parties would still go back to make further consultations and reconvene sometimes next week.
It was about the third time that both parties would not agree on a figure as the new minimum wage. The wage currently stands at N30,000.
While the government had offered N62,000, the labour leaders came to the meeting with the resolve to press for N250,000.
President Tinubu while speaking with the leadership of the workers, said he is concerned about the welfare of Nigerian workers and that his administration is prioritizing their concerns.
“I pay attention to everything around me. A happy worker is a productive worker. And society depends on the productivity of the happy worker,” the President said.
However, the President called for realistic expectations as regards the minimum wage question, stating: “You have to cut your coat according to available cloth. Before we can finalize 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. There is much dynamism to this process if we are not myopic in our approaches. We can take a surgical approach that is based on pragmatism and a deep understanding of all factors.”
Ajaero also emphasized the need for an upward adjustment to the minimum wage, noting: “Between living wage and minimum wage, we need to find a balance. Things are difficult for the Nigerian worker.”