Organized Labor remains resolute that N250,000 is the ideal minimum wage for Nigerian workers, declared Trade Union Congress (TUC) President Festus Osifo on Tuesday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Speaking at the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Women Commission’s maiden annual convention in Abuja, Osifo highlighted ongoing negotiations between the TUC, Nigeria Labour Congress, and Federal Government officials to finalize the minimum wage agreement.
Osifo emphasized that discussions on the new national minimum wage have not stalled. Although President Bola Tinubu decided to consult with stakeholders before presenting the bill to the National Assembly, negotiations are actively continuing.
The Federal Government and Organized Private Sector have agreed on N62,000 as the new minimum wage, but the labour unions are steadfast in their demand for N250,000.
“The minimum wage negotiations are far from dead,” Osifo stated. “The 2019 minimum wage took about two years to finalize. We started negotiations in 2017 and promised to expedite this process to avoid a repeat of the delays faced in 2019.”
He reiterated that the minimum wage issue is receiving attention, with the president seeking further consultations before submitting it to the National Assembly.
“We submitted our divergent positions in June, and President Tinubu announced he wanted to consult with governors, local government chairmen, the organized private sector, and labour.
We are engaging in extensive outreach and discussions to ensure the proposed minimum wage adequately supports the poorest of the poor.”
Osifo assured that, despite the media silence, internal efforts are underway to expedite the submission of the bill. “We still insist on the N250,000 benchmark as the ideal minimum wage,” he affirmed.
