While labour insists on N250,000 as a new minimum wage, the committee had pegged it at N62,000.But during a Thursday meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, the organised labour led by the NLC President Joe Ajaero and his TUC counterpart Festus Osifo said nothing has changed about the demands.
Ajaero said the meeting – which lasted for about an hour and was later adjourned to next week – was not a negotiation and the two figures remain on the table. According to the TUC boss, the labour delegation informed the President of the economic difficulties Nigerians are going through.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government is optimistic that the impasse over the new minimum wage will be resolved by next week.The Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Malagi and his Labour and Employment (state) counterpart Nkeiruka Onyejeocha said this after a closed-door session between President Tinubu and the labour leaders.
Recall that the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage had after the conclusion of its assignment in June, submitted two figures to the President as the organized private sector and the government team offered to pay N62,000, while the organized labour demanded N250,000.