The Tripartite Committee raised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to negotiate a new national minimum wage for the nation on Monday submitted its report to the Federal Government.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, received the report from the Chairman of the Committee and former Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Alh. Bukar Goni Aji.
According to a statement by the Director, Information and Public Relations, SGF Office, Segun Imohiosen, the long-awaited report would be formally presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at a later date when the leadership of the organised labour would have returned from Geneva.
Following agitation by the organised labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), President Tinubu inaugurated a 37-member tripartite committee on the national minimum wage on January 30, 2024, in accordance with the provisions of the Minimum Wage Act, 2019.
The Committee was tasked with the responsibility of recommending a new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers in the public and private sectors.
However, following unsuccessful discussions over a new minimum wage, organised labour declared an indefinite strike on Monday, June 3, 2024, leading to widespread disruption as airports, hospitals, the national grid, banks, and government establishments were shut down.
Labour had insisted that the current N30,000 minimum wage was grossly inadequate because of rising inflation and the impacts of recent policy changes, such as the removal of petrol subsidies and the unification of forex windows.
They also posited that many governors have not been paying the current wage, which expired in April 2024.
The labour unions’ initial demand was N615,000, later reduced to N494,000. The government and private sector’s proposals of N60,000 were rejected, leading to the strike.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, after a meeting on June 3, 2024, with the leadership of organised labour, announced the President’s commitment to a wage above N60,000, prompting Labour to suspend the strike on June 4, 2024, and resume negotiations.
In the same vein, the President tasked Finance Minister Wale Edun with creating a new wage template. The labour-intensive discussion has reduced their demand to N250,000, while the Federal Government offered N62,000.
It was not clear on Monday whether a consensus was reached by the parties, but the statement from the SGF Office indicated that the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage has concluded its assignment and submitted a report to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Monday, June 10, 2024.
“A formal presentation of the report will be made to Mr. President for appropriate action when the leadership of organised labour as well as representatives of government and organised private sector, who are presently in Geneva, Switzerland, for the ongoing International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conference, return to the country.
“The SGF thanked the Chairman of the Committee, Alh. Bukar Goni Aji, and members for their commitment and sacrifices,” it stated.
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