L-R: Festus Osifo, TUC president; Joe Ajaero, NLC president, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Nkeiruka Onyejiocha, Minister of State for Labour.
By Amah
Organised Labour, Tinubu adjourn National Minimum Wage talks
L-R: Festus Osifo, TUC president; Joe Ajaero, NLC president, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Nkeiruka Onyejiocha, Minister of State for Labour.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Organised Labour and again on Thursday adjourned their deliberations on the new National Minimum wage.
This follows the inability of both parties to arrive at a meaningful resolution during the meeting called at the instance of the President.
The talks shall continue in seven days to continue discussions as.
However, when the Labour leaders emerged from the meeting, they told reporters that their consultations with the President would continue next week, as they also had to go back to their organs to relay what the president discussed with them.
Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, stated that the Organised Labour’s demand for N250,000 for Labour and N62,000 for the Federal Government has not changed.
According to Ajaero: “In a real sense, it wasn’t a negotiation but a discussion, and we have had that discussion.
“We agreed to look at the real terms probably and reconvene in the next one week.
“So, that’s where we are. We didn’t go down there to talk to Naira and Kobo. At least, there were some basic issues that we agreed on.
“We didn’t go into Naira and Kobo discussions. Now the status quo in terms of the amount N250,000 and N62,000 remains until we finish this conversation.”
Festus Osifo, TUC president, said the meeting looked at the issues “bothering and biting Nigerians today”.
However, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State for Labour, who spoke with State House correspondents in Abuja on Thursday, was confident that the minimum wage issue would soon be resolved.
“It is a fruitful meeting, father and children. I think we are hopeful that very soon everything will be resolved,” she said after President Tinubu had met with the NLC and TUC leadership.
“Of course, when father and children talk, you know what it is. That’s just exactly what has happened. It took us almost about an hour. I believe that it’s all for good.”
The Organised Labour and the Federal Government have been at loggers head over Labour’s demand for a new National Minimum Wage, which led to a strike on June 3.
Although the strike was eventually called off the matter is yet to be resolved.
