A meeting between President Tinubu and organised Labour on the new minimum wage ended without resolutions, and labour leaders have indicated that discussions with the Presidency will resume next week.
According to the Nigerian Labour Congress President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the meeting was not a negotiation but a discussion; with the status quo in terms of N250,000 and N62,000 remaining until further discussions.
The Federal Executive Council postponed discussions on the new minimum wage proposal to allow for more consultations with stakeholders before presenting the executive bill.
The minimum wage proposal was based on a report from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Chairman of the Tripartite Committee.
Negotiations over the minimum wage have been ongoing, with no agreement reached.
“In a 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 one week.
“So that’s where we are. We didn’t go down there to talk naira and kobo. At least there were some basic issues that we agreed on.
“We didn’t go into naira and kobo discussions. Now the status quo in terms of the amount N250,000 and N62,000 remains until we finish this conversation.” The NLC president said.
Following talks, labor unions suggested a new minimum wage of N250,000, but state governors raised concern about their ability to pay N62,000.
Negotiations over the minimum wage had been continuing for some time, with Organised Labour, government representatives, and the private sector unable to achieve an agreement.
President Bola Tinubu appointed a tripartite committee in January to negotiate a new minimum wage before the Minimum Wage Act of 2019 expires in April 2024.
