The federal government and the organised labour, represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have agreed on a N70, 000 national minimum wage for workers.
The figure was arrived at during a meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leaders of NLC and TUC in his office at the State House in Abuja Thursday.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Minister of Information and Orientation Mohammed Idris said the consensus with the organised labour marked a turning point in the history of negotiations on the minimum wage.
“Today is a happy day for Nigeria. You recall that last week we had a meeting here and the organized private sector and the sub-nationals have also held their various meetings with Mr. President following the submission of the tripartite agreement to Mr. President.
“Labour came last week. They had a meeting with Mr. President. They asked for adjournment for a week to go and consult further. They did those consultations. They have come back today and we have met with Mr. President.
“We’re happy to announce today that both the federal government and Organized Labour have agreed on an increase on the N62, 000. The new national minimum wage that we expect to submit to the National Assembly for legislation is N70, 000. But that is not all.
“There is also a boost like Mr. President has assured, that massive investment is going to be made in the area of infrastructure. There is also a deepening of the investment of the federal government in renewable energy. More money is going to go into the acquisition of more buses, the CNG buses, Nigeria is going to be more CNG compliant, according to Mr. President.
“We’re moving in this transition to renewable and all other things. Mr. President has assured Labour on the issue of SSANU (to intervene in the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities), and NASU (Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions).
“They have seen the magnanimity of the President and today the leadership of Labour said they didn’t come here for negotiation. Not at all, they came here in that deep sense of patriotism to ensure that Nigeria remains united, Nigeria becomes more prosperous and it is in that spirit, that they are in agreement with what the federal government has done today.
“We want to thank Labour for their patriotism. We also want to thank Mr President, the federal government, the sub-nationals and organized private sector for going through this painstaking effort but also ensuring that at the end of the day Nigeria is the winner for it all,” he said.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Labour, Mrs Nkiru Onyejeocha, said the government and organised labour agreed that the minimum wage review be reduced to three years, stressing that the previous five years is too long.
She said the president also directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu and their education counterpart, Professor Tahir Mamman, to work out modalities to pay the withheld salaries of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non Academic Staff Union of Universities(NASU) members.
She said the president assured the organised labour that he would not disappoint.
“Recall that Labour met Mr President last week, and they asked that he should give them one week to consult more. And of course, at the end of the day, the consultation came, very fruitful because the President said he has to be a father.
“That it is not the issue of the law of who is right, or who will blink first, that he is our father like he has always said. That we should end the issue of give me 1000, add 1000 and all that.
“That, first and foremost, that the review of this minimum wage policy has to be reduced to three years, that five years is too long a time to get any minimum wage review, that is not very healthy. And of course, that labour should look at the indices of the economy and accept N70, 000 minimum wage, and of course, that it has to be reviewed every three, years.
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