President Bola Tinubu on Thursday approved a N70, 000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers, with a promise to review the national minimum wage law every three years.
The Nation reports that the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) were at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, for a scheduled meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, said in a statement: “President Tinubu also promised to find ways to assist the private sector and the sub-nationals to pay the minimum wage.
“President Tinubu announced the decisions at the meeting held with leaders of TUC and NLC on Thursday in Abuja, the second time the parties met in seven days.
“The Labour leaders applauded President Tinubu for the fatherly gesture, as the President also promised to use his discretionary powers to meet the demands of university unions demanding unpaid four-month salaries.”
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Eelier, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, said the Federal Government and the leadership of the Organised Labour have agreed on ₦70,000 as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
The minister said the agreement was reached at a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Thursday in Abuja.
“We are happy to announce today (Thursday) that both the organized labor and the federal government have agreed on an increase in the N62,000 minimum wage. The new national minimum that Mr. President is expected to submit to the National Assembly is ₦70,000,” an elated Idris told State House correspondents.
NLC President Joe Ajaero, TUC boss Festus Osifo, Labour Minister Nkiruka Onyejeocha, and other officials from both sides flanked the minister.
Ajaero confirmed that ₦70,000 was where they were on the issue of the minimum wage.
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He also said that part of the discussion was that the minimum wage would no longer wait until after five years to be reviewed.
According to him, the agreement was that the minimum wage would now be reviewed every three years.
Ajaero said organized labor would consult with their members on the ₦70,000 benchmark.
“We were here last week. And we are here now. What they have announced in terms of the amount of ₦70,000 happens to be where we are now. But the thing about it is that we will not wait for another five years to come and agree,” Ajaero said.
On her part, Onyejeocha said Tinubu had also directed the Ministers of Finance and Budget, Wale Edun and Atiku Bagudu, respectively, to work out modalities on how to settle the issues with the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU).