BREAKING: FG, OPS agree on N62,000 Minimum wage
The Federal Government and the Organised Private Sector (OPS) last night reached an agreement to pay N62,000 to their least paid worker, an increase of N2000 on the N60,000 rejected last week by labour.
But the states said they cannot afford to pay even N60,000 while the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) disagreed with government and the OPS, saying the minimum they would accept is N250,000, which is N244,000 less than the N494,000 they had demanded.
The N62,000 was agreed on yesterday a few hours after the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) declared that the N60,000 tabled last week at a meeting with organised labour was too high and unsustainable.
The sum was rejected outright by the NLC) and TUC, with both subsequently calling a strike on Monday that paralysed the nation.
They however suspended the strike on Tuesday for one week following a pledge by the Federal Government to up its offer.
The new figure of N62,000 was confirmed by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma and TUC President Festus Osifo at the end of last night’s meeting.
Uzodinma said the Tripartite Committee would send its recommendation to President Bola Tinubu for his approval.
He said the President would in turn forward an executive bill on a final figure as minimum wage to the National Assembly.
Uzodinma said: “We are almost there because we are just about to sign and there will be a complete closure. Every other thing will follow.
“The committee has worked so hard and the committee has reached an agreement. The Tripartite Committee is made up of three parties – the government, the Organised Private Sector (OPS) and Organised Labour.
“In the wisdom of the committee, it has put together a recommendation that will be forwarded to Mr. President for further action
“The Organised Private Sector and the Federal Government have agreed on N62,000 while Organised Labour is asking for N250,000.
“At the end of the day, what is important is that we are talking. There is no hostility anymore. And the national anxiety is going to be relaxed as soon as this is made public.
“That is the beauty of the conversation and I am very happy we have been able to manage this temptation that has befallen our nation so that government can face its business and Nigerians will also go about their businesses without any further embarrassment.
President of TUC, Osifo, said: “The OPS and Federal Government have recommended N62,000 as the minimum wage but for us (labour) we felt that with the current economic hardship and the difficulty in the land, the sum of N250,000 should be what will be okay as the minimum wage.
“We are going to sign a report and forward this position to Mr. President. This committee is to make recommendation to Mr. President so we will forward it to Mr. President and he will forward it to the National Assembly.
“We will keep pushing to ensure that we have a wage that stands the test of time in Nigeria.”
Also speaking, Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, Bukar Aji said: “The recommendation that we have just had is as a result of a very deep dialogue and consensus reached at the tripartite level. The situation that we are recommending to Mr. President somehow is repeating itself because it happened in the 2018 exercise.
“In 2018, it was the other way round. The Organised Private Sector and the Organised Labour recommended N30,000 as minimum wage while the government side recommended N24,000.
“Two figures were recommended to the then President for his consideration and onward transmission to the National Assembly for it to become a law. That is exactly where we are.
“The mandate of the Tripartite Committee is to recommend. It has no powers to approve but to recommend and the recommendation today came as a result of deeper understanding and studies of all the economic indices and current inflation, state of the economy, affordability, ability, capability and sustainability had been displayed so that a figure that will further throw the country into confusion is not announced.
“This is because if any party goes into an agreement of the figures it knows from its sources it cannot afford then it is going to create another problem.
“But I thank God that all wisdom came together and that the recommendation to Mr. President is going along the direction that you have just heard from the Governor of Imo State who played a very critical role in mediating this process with his colleague, the Governor of Kwara State.
On her part, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha said: We have done our job and thank God we have come to the conclusion of a process that started months ago.
“It is the issue of three people negotiating and you don’t expect them to come in one day and just agree. There are certain indices we had to take into consideration and certain things we had to look at. Having come to this end, we have to move forward.”
The meeting was attended by Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun; Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq and labour leaders.
The Nation gathered that it took a lot of efforts by the Tripartite Committee to have the OPS on its side on the new minimum wage.
But the states remained adamant and sources said some had accused the federal government of caving under the labour’s pressure without critically looking at the feasibility of new figure.
“For example, a governor from the south who is a member of the opposition lamented how he would take such huge amounts to pay less than 200,000 civil servants in the state, which does not constitute more than 5 per cent of the population,” a source said.
A Lagos based manufacturer was quoted as saying: “The FG has literally shaved our heads in our absence. Though we had nominal representations, they were not allowed to come back to us for proper consultation.”
A member of the FG negotiation team said: “Actually, FG’s position is that we can pay as much as 65,000 because the President believes in quick and amicable solution.”
When contacted, Information Minister Mohammed Idris reiterated the Federal Government’s position to pay above 60,000 as minimum wage subject to its ability to sustain the final minimum wage the tripartite committee finally comes up with.
Earlier yesterday, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) in a statement through its Acting Director, Media Affairs and Public Affairs Hajiya Halimah Salihu Ahmed, said although the governors were “in agreement that a new minimum wage is due,” all parties should consider the implications for the various interest groups.
All parties, the NGF said, should note that the new minimum wage negotiations “also involve consequential adjustments across all cadres, including pensioners.”
Continuing, it said: “The NGF cautions parties in this important discussion to look beyond just signing a document for the sake of it; any agreement to be signed should be sustainable and realistic.
“All things considered, the NGF holds that the N60,000 minimum wage proposal is not sustainable and cannot fly.
“It will simply mean that many states will spend all their FAAC allocations on just paying salaries with nothing left for development purposes.
“In fact, a few states will end up borrowing to pay workers every month.
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“We do not think this will be in the collective interest of the country, including workers.
“We appeal that all parties involved, especially the labour unions, consider all the socioeconomic variables and settle for an agreement that is sustainable, durable, and fair to all other segments of the society who have legitimate claim to public resources.”
Labour Veterans fault NLC, TUC on shutting down of national grid
The decision of organised labour to shut down the national grid during the last strike has not gone down well with Labour Veterans and Trade Unionists Assembly which branded the action uncalled for and treasonable.
Interim Chairman of the group, Comrade Isa Tijjani, said the grid shut down was not in the best interest of anyone.
It said: “In particular, we are miffed by the apparent treasonable felony committed by the striking Labour leaders in bringing down the national grid, stopping citizens from going about their legitimate businesses, forceful eviction of law abiding citizens from their offices and employment of force and arm twisting tactics on people to abide by the strike. All these should be investigated and appropriate actions taken.
“Agitation for minimum wage is a legitimate right. However, the means and method used in undertaking the strike were not only unfair but criminal and against ILO conventions, which are aimed at protecting essential service sectors in any given economy from such disruption.
“The penchant to opt for strike as the first option in settling labour disputes is inimical even to the interest of workers in whose name the strike was embarked upon in the first place.
“This demonstrates lack of seriousness and deep reflection on the side of congress leadership for always swinging into acting before they think. Such actions are inimical to well know norms and practices of the labor movement and should be stopped forthwith.”
Tijjani is a former vice president of the NLC.
Labour rejects treason accusation, says SGF trivialising genuine grievances of workers
Responding yesterday to a similar accusation by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, Labour said it was disheartening that a person of SGF’s repute could make such a statement.
Head, Information and Public Affairs of the NLC, Comrade Benson Upah, said in Abuja that Akume’s characterization of labour’s “legitimate and constitutionally protected industrial action as a ‘treasonable felony’ and ‘economic sabotage’ is not only deeply troubling but also undermines the spirit of constructive dialogue necessary for resolving the ongoing issues.”
He added: “His assertion that he cannot afford to pay each of his four drivers ₦100,000 monthly is a stark reminder of the disconnect between the government and the realities faced by ordinary Nigerians. Such statements do not contribute to the resolution of the issues at hand but rather exacerbate tensions.
“The demands of the NLC and TUC are clear and just. We seek the conclusion and signing into law of a new national minimum wage that is in sync with the realities of the cost of living, a reversal of the hike in electricity tariff to ₦65/kWh, and an end to the discriminatory classification of electricity consumers into bands. These demands are grounded in the need for economic justice and fairness for all Nigerian workers and citizens.
“The SGF we are sure clearly knows those whose actions are treasonable and sabotages our economy. Those who loot our treasury around the country, those who divert public resources meant for hospitals and schools; those who are involved in foreign exchange round tripping; padding of budgets and inflating contracts including those who steal trillions of Naira in the name of subsidy are the real economic saboteurs who commit treasonable felony.
“These people are in costly Agbada and drive in convoys all around the nation occupying the corridors of power and not innocent workers who are not slaves but chose to withdraw their services because of the inhuman treatment meted on them by the Government.
“We reject completely the unfortunate insinuations around the SGF’s remarks because strikes are not only legal but also a civic duty. We are surprised that the SGF will demonstrate such a glaring sense of unawareness to the understanding of the fact that when workers withdraw their services which is their right, machines cannot operate themselves so, they grind to a halt.
“The NLC remains committed to advocating for the rights and welfare of all Nigerian workers. We stand firm in our demands and will continue to pursue them through all legitimate means available to us. We will not surrender the trust and confidence Nigerian workers and people have bestowed on us to blackmail by the SGF or any other official. Our commitment is to Nigeria, Nigerian workers and peoples and this will continue driving our engagement.”
NCPC calls for amicable resolution to avoid retrenchment of workers
The Executive Secretary Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), Bishop Stephen Adegbite, urged the Federal Government, NLC and TUC to consider an amicable way of resolving the minimum wage issue.
Adegbite advised labour to shun a situation where many workers, especially in the private sector, would be sacked on account of high salary that many employers of labour may not be able to sustain.
He gave the advice while briefing reporters in Abuja on Friday on the minimum wage saga and preparations by the commission for this year’s pilgrimage,
He hoped all sides in the matter would reach an understanding on a minimum wage structure that will be acceptable to all the parties involved without causing more problems in the system.
