Labour Kicks as Federal Executive Council Steps Down Memo, Demands Consultation
The Organised Labour has kicked against the Federal Executive Council’s decision to step down the memorandum on the report of the Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage.
The Head of Public Relations of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Benson Upah, who criticised the failure of the Federal Executive Council to consider the memo during yesterday’s meeting, said stepping down the tripartite committee report “creates room for injurious speculations.”
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, told journalists after the council meeting that the Federal Executive Council stepped down the memorandum on the new minimum wage to allow for more consultations between President Bola Tinubu, state governors, local government authorities and the private sector.
Idris said the council deferred acting on the memo given that the Federal Government is not the sole stakeholder on the national minimum wage issue.
The Federal Government, Organised Private Sector and Labour had held several meetings on the new minimum wage with the NLC and Trade Union Congress leaders insisting on N250,000.
On the other hand, the Federal Government, states and the Organised Private Sector made a counter-offer of N62,000.
However, the state governors argued that they would not sustain any minimum wage higher than N60,000.
The Governors of the 36 states have however fixed an emergency meeting for today, over the proposed new minimum wage.
The Acting Director on Media and Public Affairs of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Halima Ahmed, disclosed that the governors would meet in Abuja by 7 pm today, over the matter.
