The president of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero has said the meeting with President Bola Tinubu on the new national minimum wage on Thursday was not a negotiation.
He stated this while addressing newsmen after the meeting.
Ajaero explained that the meeting was not a negotiation, and the two figures of ₦250,000 and ₦62,000 remain on the table.
According to him, what they had was a discussion, and they decided to talk about the amount and agree on real terms next week.
Ajaero said, “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,” Ajaero said.
“At least there were some basic issues that we agreed on. The status quo in terms of the amount N250,000 and N62,000 remains until we finish this conversation.”
Minimum Wage: Why Must We Adjust Wages Every Five Years? – Details Of What President Tinubu Told Labour Leaders Emerge
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, appealed to organized labour to accept the ₦62,000 figure as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
The Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made this known in a post via X while sharing details of the meeting between the federal government and organized labour.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, Joe Ajaero; his counterpart at the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo, and other members of their delegation represented labour.
According to Onanuga, President Tinubu also questioned why wages have to be adjusted every five years and not two or three years.
The President, who led the government officials to the meeting, urged labour to accept the negotiated ₦62,000 as the first baby step in resolving the minimum wage issue. He suggested that further reviews can be done if the minimum wage law is reviewed.
“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“, he said.
Onanuga also confirmed that delegates for the meeting also received briefings on the state of the economy from the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun and the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari, during the meeting.
The presidential media aide confirmed that labour is still insisting on a minimum monthly wage of N250,000.
The talks between the Federal Government and the central labour unions over the minimum wage were adjourned till next Thursday.
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