The ongoing negotiations between the federal government and the leadership of the organized labour over a new national minimum wage took a break on Wednesday and adjourned talks till Thursday (today) when the negotiation is expected to continue.
The tripartite committee on national minimum wage postponed the session in anticipation of the minister of finance, Wale Edun, submitting the salary template to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu today.
A source who attended the tripartite committee meeting on minimum wage held on Wednesday said, “The meeting has been adjourned until Thursday. We showed understanding because we all know that the president gave the minister of finance 48 hours to come up with a minimum wage. So, we decided to give them the time. We will be meeting by 2 p.m.”
President Tinubu had on Tuesday directed the finance minister to present the cost implications for a new minimum wage within two days.
The president gave the order at a meeting with the government negotiation team led by the secretary to the government of the federation, George Akume, at the presidential villa in Abuja.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, said “We were all there to look at all issues, and the President has directed the minister of finance to do the numbers and get back to him between today and tomorrow so that we can have figures ready for negotiation with labour.”
“The president is determined to go with what the committee has said and he’s also looking at the welfare of Nigerians.
“Government is not against or opponent of labour discussions; the government is not an opponent of wage increase, but what is there is that government is always there to ensure a balance between what government pronouncement is and what the realities are on the ground.
“And therefore, we will work assiduously to ensure that whatever promises the government makes are promises that will be kept. That is the idea of this meeting.”
Furthermore, he said Tinubu directed the government representatives to work collectively with the organised private sector and the sub-nationals to achieve a new affordable wage award for Nigerians.
Idris explained, “The President has given a marching order that all those who have negotiated on behalf of the Federal Government and all those who are representatives of organized private sectors, the sub-nationals to come together to have a new wage that is affordable, sustainable and realistic for Nigerians.
“The wage is not just that of the Federal Government; as I mentioned earlier, the sub-nationals are involved, the organized private sector is involved; the Labour stepped out during that procedure. Now we have come back to the negotiation table.”
The minister assured that all hands would be on deck to present a new minimum wage for Nigerians in one week.
“All of us will work together assiduously within the next week to ensure that we have a new wage for Nigeria that is acceptable, sustainable and realistic,” Idris said.
The minister assured that all hands would be on deck to present a new minimum wage for Nigerians in one week.
