Thursday’s discussions between President Bola Tinubu and Organised Labour regarding the minimum wage were postponed until next week to allow for broader consultations with all stakeholders.
The leadership of Organised Labour, represented by Nigeria Labour Congress President Joe Ajaero and Trade Union Congress President Festus Osifo, arrived at the State House around 2:00 pm and were welcomed into Tinubu’s office.
The Tripartite Committee on the new national minimum wage recently presented two proposals to the President: N62,000 from the government and private sector, and N250,000 from Organised Labour.
Due to the disagreement over the proposed figures, the President delayed submitting any proposal to the National Assembly through an Executive Bill, opting instead to consult further with relevant stakeholders to address all contentious issues.
Ajaero, speaking to State House Correspondents after the meeting, clarified that the one-hour session was a discussion about the current economic realities rather than a negotiation.
“In a real sense, it wasn’t a negotiation but a discussion, and we agreed to reconvene in a week. We didn’t discuss specific figures like naira and kobo but focused on basic issues,” Ajaero stated.
When asked if Organised Labour insisted on the N250,000 demand, Ajaero reiterated, “We did not engage in discussions about specific amounts. The N250,000 and N62,000 figures remain until we finish these conversations.”
Osifo echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that Organised Labour laid out all economic factors affecting Nigerians.
“We presented issues affecting Nigerians, such as economic difficulties and the devaluation of the naira, to the President. We’ve had these discussions with his agents, but today we spoke directly with him. After making our arguments and presenting economic analyses, the President responded, and we agreed to reflect and continue discussions next week,” Osifo explained.
Despite the impasse, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, described the meeting as “fruitful,” likening it to a family discussion.
“It was a fruitful meeting between a father and his children. We are hopeful that everything will be resolved soon,” she remarked.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, expressed optimism for a positive outcome after next week’s talks.
“There’s already a N62,000 proposal from the government and private sector, but Organised Labour has not accepted it yet. We believe that they will eventually agree on a workable solution. We’ve adjourned for a week to allow for further discussions, and we are hopeful for a resolution beneficial to all Nigerians,” Idris stated.
A source privy to the meeting revealed that President Tinubu urged Organised Labour to consider the N62,000 offer from the government and private sector. The President also suggested the possibility of reviewing the minimum wage every two years instead of every five.
“President Tinubu proposed considering the N62,000 offer, highlighting that it is double the previous N30,000 minimum wage,” the source disclosed.
Another source mentioned that the President simply laughed when the NLC President pointed out that accepting the N62,000 offer would effectively lower wages, as the least-paid worker currently earns N72,000 (including wage awards and a 40% increase).