…As FEC steps down memo
By Yahaya Umar, Abuja
Amid high expectations, the Federal Government, yesterday said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has studied the report submitted by the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage and will have a wider consultation with stakeholders before forwarding a final submission to the National Assembly.
Owing to this, the Federal Executive Council, FEC, stepped down a memo on the new minimum wage to allow President Bola Tinubu a broader consultation with stakeholders.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, who stated while briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting stated that ‘I want to inform Nigerians here that the Federal Executive Council deliberated on that [the report of the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage.
“The decision is that because the new national minimum wage is not just that of the Federal Government. It is an issue that involves the Federal Government, the state governments, local governments, the organised private sector, and of course, including the organised labour.
“That memo was stepped down to enable Mr. President to consult further, especially with the state governors and the organised private sector, before he makes a presentation of an executive bill to the National Assembly”.
It would be re called that Tinubu, had earlier in January set up a Tripartite Committee to negotiate a new minimum wage for workers in the country, comprising Organised Labour, representatives of federal, state governments and Organised Private Sector but the committee failed to reach an agreement on a new minimum wage for workers.
Consequently, labour under the auspices of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC, declare an indefinite industrial action on Monday, June 3, 2024.
AljazirahNigeria reports that according to the Nigeria Labour Congress Executives led by Comrade Ajaero Joe, and it’s TUC counterpart led by Mr Osifo said, “Since the tripartite committee’s inauguration, the minimum wage committee apart from the inauguration day didn’t meet until recently deploying the fire brigade approach”.
When the committee resumes meeting , organised labour tabled N615, 000 and gave a thorough explanations on how it arrived at that sum. Critiques feasted on the Labour Unions, that it was humongous and unrealistic, though it gave a good explanations of how it arrived at N615,000. But the Federal government team presented what many described as the joke of the year, a paltry sum of N48,000 which is nothing to take home considering the economic reality of Nigeria today.
Organised Labour was also reluctant in wage demand reduction, theirs hovers around N500 downward N492,000 finally N250,000. But the Federal and States government surprised pundits by tabling,N54k, N58k and N60,000. It was at this juncture the Organised Labour embarked on strike and the meeting with the SGF ensued leading to the suspension of the indefinite strike. At the resumed negotiation, the FG , State and Organised private sector tabled the sum of N62,000 as there final negotiation. Nigerians were shocked and many have criticized the amount as very poor considering the present situation the citizens are facing.
In Nigeria today, food and services inflation is growing speedily over 30% inflation rate, the meagre salary can’t even buy a bag of rice talk more of Garri and yam to take home. However, at the Federal Executive Council meeting yesterday, the committee on minimum wage hinted presenting the decision of N62,000 before the President, which he turned down and instructed a further wider consultation with stakeholders.
Meanwhile, many governors whom critiques have described as insincere claimed they can’t even pay the N62,000 as a minimum wage but the Edo State government led by Mr Godwin Obaseki shocked other states by offering and have began paying the sum of N70,000 as a minimum wage.
