The federal government will hold a meeting with the leaders of organized labour this week to discuss concerns over the new minimum wage amid the scheduled strike and protest being planned by the former.
The FG move came at the time Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), declared a two-day nationwide strike in protest of the country’s citizens’ financial struggles following the elimination of the petrol subsidy.
Recall that FG in his plan to lessen the effects of the subsidy removal, the administration granted an additional N35,000 salary award for six months beginning in September 2023. However, organized labour insisted that this was merely a temporary fix and demanded a thorough assessment of the minimum wage.
Ajaero had previously warned that the nation’s growing inflation rate may force organized labour to demand a minimum wage of N1 million.
Meanwhile, there are compelling signs that organized labour is willing to compromise on its demand for a minimum wage of N1 million for all workers in the nation, following the reality of the present.
The change in stance will probably be conveyed to the federal government on Monday and Tuesday of this week during the second meeting of the tripartite committee on the minimum wage.
IdanNews gathered that the meeting will progress dialogues amongst all stakeholders to the negotiations so that on or before April 1, when the present N30,000 minimum salary set by law expires, a new minimum wage can be announced.
It should be also recalled that on January 30, 2024, President Tinubu convened a 37-member panel on the new minimum wage in the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja, through his vice, Kashim Shettima.
The panel, whose members include representatives from organized labour, the private sector, and the federal and state governments, is tasked with proposing a new minimum wage for the nation.
The existing N30,000 minimum wage expires at the end of next month, thus Shettima encouraged members to “speedily” arrive at a resolution and submit a report early in his inaugural remarks at the inauguration.
“The timely submission (of the report) is crucial to ensure the emergence of a new minimum wage,” Shettima said.