July 14, (THEWILL) – A few weeks after President Bola Tinubu hinted in his June 12, 2024 Democracy Day address that he would n propose an executive bill to the National Assembly on the new minimum wage, another round of talks with organised labour leaders started all over again last week.
The Federal Government had settled for N62,000 after several negotiations had taken place between labour leaders and a Tripartite Committee set up by the President to negotiate a new minimum wage as the 2019 wage which made N30,000 minimum wage expired in April 2024. The committee is composed of the Organised Labour, representatives of federal and state governments as well as the Organised Private Sector
Two weeks after Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech, the Federal Executive Council, FEC, chaired by the President stepped down from consideration and deliberation on the memo on the new minimum wage to allow for more consultation, especially as organise labour stood their grounds on their own version of minimum wage of N250,000n from N467,000 which they earlier proposed.
THEWILL learnt that Tinubu had to meet with labour as a final move before submitting his proposed executive bill to the National Assembly. The idea is that once the supportive lawmakers pass the bill and it becomes law, it would be binding on every partner to the negotiations. So far, only the labour leaders beside organised private sector and state governments, are yet to agree to the new wage with the proposal of the Federal Government.
Once passed, the Act would take another mandatory five years for review to meet contemporary economic demands of workers.
Speaking on this, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said that sanctions are likely to be meted out for non-compliance with the bill once it becomes an Act.
Adaramodu said, “We are going to do a watertight bill that we are proposing that the president will sign to ensure that it is strictly adhered to as a law.
He explained that the issue of a minimum wage should not be looked at as one involving only the Federal Government because every employer of labour from the public to the private is involved.
The federal lawmaker urged the Nigeria Labour Congress to look beyond the federal level in its agitation for better conditions of work.
He said, “We don’t even talk about the sub-nationals. And then it behoves on the NLC, which recognises the workers in the organised private sector and the sub-nationals to look at the NLC that recognises them as their members, to even ensure that they advocate for them.
But for organised labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), the minimum wage should be N250,000.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, made this known to State House Correspondents, after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking further on Thursday, in Abuja, Ajaero told State House Correspondents that the engagement with the President is expected to resume this week.
While the details of the discussions were not disclosed, TUC President, Festus Osifo, said labour explained its position to the President.
For President Tinubu however, Nigerian workers deserve improved welfare, better wages, as well as safe and enhanced working conditions as the driving force of the nation.
Speaking with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) led by Comrade Joe Ajaero and that of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) led by Comrade Festus Osifo, on Thursday in Abuja, President Tinubu said he was concerned about the welfare of Nigerian workers and that his administration is prioritising 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,” presidential spokesperson, Ajuru Ngelale quoted the President as saying.
The President, Ngelale said, called for realistic expectations as regards the minimum wage question, stating: “You have to cut your coat according to available cloth. Before we can finalise 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.”
Responding, Ajaero said, “Between living wage and minimum wage, we need to find a balance. Things are difficult for the Nigerian worker.”
The TUC President, Comrade Osifo, said inflation has adversely affected the value of the naira and that the measures initiated by the government to address the rising cost of food and transportation need to kick in to give citizens relief.
He said the rollout of Compressed Natural Gas-powered buses will help in checking the high cost of transportation, while the recent directive on the suspension of duty on certain food imports will bring down the prices of food items, if properly implemented.
Curiously, Ajaero however, said that “Naira and Kobo,” was not part of their discussion with the President, adding that the status quo remained as per the proposals of N250,000 and N62,000.
“In the real sense, it wasn’t a negotiation, but a discussion and we have had that discussion. We agreed to look at the real terms probably and reconvene in the next week.
“So that’s where we are because we didn’t go down there to talk naira and kobo. At least, there were some basic issues that we agreed on,” he said.
On the N250,000 demanded by the NLC, the labour leader said, “I remember mentioning that we didn’t go into naira and kobo discussion. Now the status quo in terms of the amount N250,000 and N62,000 remains until we finish this conversation.”
On his part, the Trade Union Congress President, Comrade Osifo said that the organized labour put all the economic indices on the table and how it was biting on Nigerians.
He said, “In the meeting we tried to put the issues on the table. Issues that are bordering and biting Nigerians today, the economic difficulties and the value of naira, how it has also eroded, how these have affected the prices of commodities and goods in the market.
“So, we tried to put these before Mr President because he is the President of the country and the bulk stops at his table.
“We have had all the conversations with all his agents, but today (Thursday) we said let us meet with the father of the country and have this conversation and make the argument that Labour always make.
“We made all the arguments, the economic analysis, macro, micro, fiscal and monetary issues. so we put everything forward and at the end, the President made his remark as the President and we all agreed. Let’s go back to internalize it, have some conversations and in one week time, we will come back and we will continue the meeting.”
On their part, the 36 state governors have said they should be allowed to pay what each state can afford.
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