Labour Calls For Tinubu’s Intervention As Minimum Wage Talks Stall

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Organized Labour has called on President Bola Tinubu to personally step in to resolve the ongoing minimum wage negotiations and prevent the indefinite strike action set to begin on Monday.

This is as the Federal Government warned that the national minimum wage being demanded by labour could destabilise the economy.

Organised Labour had given a May 31, 2024 ultimatum on the new minimum wage.

On Tuesday, May 28, talks between the Federal Government and Organised Labour broke down after the government and the Organised Private Sector raised their offers to N60,000.

The government added N3,000 to its initial offer of N57,000 proposed last week, making the total figure N60,000. It was dismissed by labour at the meeting.

Several impeccable sources from both the Trade Union Congress and Nigeria Labour Congress, who spoke to Sunday PUNCH, stressed that the Federal Government and the organised private sector should not expect labour to accept anything less than a six-digit offer.

The unions said the government was not serious about the negotiations, adding that the shift from N48,000 to N57,000 was too meagre to be considered as ‘shifting grounds’.

They noted that the promise made by President Bola Tinubu when he became President and on Workers’ Day was that the Federal Government would pay a living wage, adding that N57,000 did not fall into that category.

On Friday, the Nigeria Labour Congress declared an indefinite nationwide strike, starting on Monday, June 3, 2024, due to the Federal Government’s refusal to increase the proposed minimum wage above N60,000.

However, speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the National Treasurer of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Hakeem Ambali, urged Tinubu to personally intervene in the ongoing minimum wage negotiation by calling all parties to a parley to avert the strike, insisting that the offer of N60,000 from the government was unreasonable, considering the current rate of inflation.

Ambali insisted that it was the duty of the Federal Government to avert the strike, adding that the government had a whole month to negotiate a reasonable minimum wage with labour to prevent industrial action.

He said, “For a whole month, we have been going forward and backward between FG and Labour. Labour shows concern and perseverance. You will recall that on May 1, Labour gave an ultimatum that we would embark on strike after the last day of May. Those in government should have done what was needed to avert this. As of today, labour has taken a decision.”

Ambali, however, noted that President Tinubu could avert the strike if he personally intervened in the negotiation with Organised Labour.

He said, “Within 24 hours, the FG and Mr President can avert the strike if he (Tinubu) shows direct interest. He has the final say. The buck stops at his table.”

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