President Bola Tinubu will meet with labour leaders again on Thursday to seek an agreement on a new minimum wage, while the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria has demanded a new income formula that benefits the country’s 774 local government areas.
Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, told journalists following the 15th Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House in Abuja on Monday that Tinubu would attend a follow-up meeting with labour leaders as part of his consultation with stakeholders.
After reaching an agreement on a new minimum wage, an amendment bill to the budget would be sent to the National Assembly for consideration.
Last Thursday, the president and labour leaders met, but no agreement was achieved on a new minimum wage, so the discussion was extended until Thursday.
Following a debate among stakeholders, the Tripartite Committee on the New National Minimum Wage presented the President with two separate amounts.
While the government and organised private sector recommended N62,000, organised labour requested N250,000. After receiving the committee’s report, the President requested extra time to consult with relevant parties and harmonise the data before submitting an executive bill to the National Assembly.
Briefing correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting, the information minister said, “The government has directed the Ministry of Budget to also come up with additional support for the 2024 Budget so that any differential or any gaps that will exist in terms of what existed before the 2024 Budget was approved and the Supplementary Budget and also what the requirement is for now.
“Now, you are also aware that last week, the Nigeria Labour Congress met with Mr. President. He had met the organised private sector, and he had also met the sub-nationals after the tripartite committee on labour submitted its report. In order to ensure that there is a thorough analysis of the situation, the government will come up with a minimum wage that works for all Nigerians, the Federal Government, the sub-nationals, and the organised private sector. That was also discussed today.
“So the government is working round the clock to ensure that it comes up with a minimum wage; like I said, that works for all Nigerians at the end of the day. This, of course, will be submitted to the National Assembly so that it can have legislative backing,” he said.
Idris further explained that the president was open to more consultations with the organised labour movement and its affiliates.
“We expect that meeting to take place this coming Thursday. Recall that this was already what the labour unions requested during their meeting with Mr. President last week.
“So the President is in agreement; he knows that the Labour Party wants to quickly finalise this issue of the minimum wage, and the government is also anxious to put the issue of the minimum wage behind it.
“So, it is expected that the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, and all their affiliates, as requested by them last week, will meet the President on Thursday, after which the President will now transmit whatever the final agreements are or what his views are on the tripartite committee’s report to the National Assembly for legislation,” Idris explained.
However, the government’s representative stated that the council did not address the minimum wage amount because consultations were underway.
“The President, the Federal Executive Council, and the Federal Government are not in opposition to the concept of wage increases.
“The issue has been a wage increase that we can defend, meaning a wage increase that will not lead to inflation, a wage increase that not just the Federal Government but the sub-nationals and the organised private sector can pay, and something that is also sustainable.
“The President also mentioned that instead of waiting for a whole five years before wages are reviewed, we can actually look at these wages between two and three years. So, the discussion was not around the figure itself; it’s about the general parameters and the general principle of the wage increase itself,” he clarified.
