By Joke Kujenya
TAKING A decisive action in the ongoing minimum wage dispute, President Bola Tinubu has instructed Finance Minister Wale Edun to swiftly calculate the financial implications of a proposed wage increase.
This directive comes in the wake of a nationwide strike initiated by labour unions after rejecting previous government offers.
The rejection of offers ranging from N48,000 to N60,000 led to the indefinite strike, which paralyzed public services across the country.
In a swift response, President Tinubu convened a high-level meeting with key government officials, emphasizing the urgency of resolving the wage dispute.
Present at the meeting were top government figures, including the Minister of Budget and National Planning, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, and the Group Managing Director/CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
President Tinubu stressed the importance of balancing the committee’s recommendations with the welfare of Nigerian citizens.
While labour unions have noted the President’s commitment to a higher minimum wage, concerns have been raised regarding the government’s stance on electricity tariff hikes and consumer classification.
This prompted labour leaders to mandate continued negotiations with a warning of potential strike resumption if no agreement is reached.
Still on the same development, despite initial agreements, the strike remains ongoing pending further discussions by labour leadership.
The federal government had expressed its commitment to establishing a new minimum wage above N60,000, with a tripartite committee set to convene daily for the next week to finalize the proposal.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume reiterated the government’s commitment to a higher minimum wage, assuring Nigerians of imminent results from ongoing negotiations.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) President Festus Osifo also highlighted the necessity of the strike as a last resort, emphasizing the progress made in recent discussions.
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The Federal Government, aware of the fact that the previous minimum wage was to expire last April, ought to have started all these directives, calculations, meetings etc late last year
Yes sir, very true. They ought to have started working towards it. But no, they won’t because to them, they are insincere about everything.
Thank you for your reaction sir.