Organized Labour has refuted President Bola Tinubu’s caims that an agreement on a new national minimum wage was reached, as stated in his Democracy Day broadcast.
According to Organized Labour, no agreement was finalized by the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage as of the end of negotiations on Friday, June 7. The discussions concluded with two proposals: N250,000 from Organized Labour and N62,000 from the government and Organized Private Sector (OPS). These figures were supposed to be presented to the President.
In a statement by the Acting President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Prince Adewale Adeyanju, Labour emphasized that any claims to the contrary were false and unacceptable.
Reacting to the President’s speech titled “Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech and national minimum wage negotiation: May be accurate in history, inaccurate in reality,” Labour reiterated that the committee did not agree on a five-year duration for the minimum wage act, despite the President’s reference to a five-year term or less.
The statement read in part, “The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) attentively listened to the Democracy Day Presidential address delivered by His Excellency, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, especially concerning the ongoing National Minimum Wage negotiations. While the President may have accurately recounted parts of our democratic journey’s history, it is evident that he has been misinformed regarding the outcome of the wage negotiation process.
“To quote Mr. President: ‘As we continue to reform the economy, I shall always listen to the people and will never turn my back on you. In this spirit, we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with organized labour on a new national minimum wage. We shall soon send an executive bill to the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law for the next five years or less. In the face of labour’s call for a national strike, we did not seek to oppress or crack down on the workers as a dictatorial government would have done. We chose the path of cooperation over conflict. No one was arrested or threatened. Instead, the labour leadership was invited to break bread and negotiate toward a good-faith resolution.’”
Labour appreciated the President’s commitment to democratic ideals but expected him to harmonize the submitted figures in favor of workers and the masses. The NLC clarified that no agreement was reached on the base figure for a national minimum wage, which still stands at N250,000, and no compelling reasons have been provided to alter this demand.
The NLC expressed surprise at the President’s claims and insisted on transparency and accuracy in the ongoing negotiations. They reaffirmed their belief that the President would prepare an Executive Bill reflecting the true demands of Nigerian workers.
Additionally, Labour highlighted that union leaders faced intimidation and harassment, contradicting the President’s assurances. They called on President Tinubu to demonstrate his commitment to Nigerian workers and reject advice that harms the poor and struggling workers.
Labour urged the President to acknowledge that no agreement on the five-year duration of the minimum wage act was reached and stressed the importance of establishing a minimum wage that ensures justice, equity, and fairness.
In conclusion, Labour emphasized the need for a sustainable democracy that guarantees prosperity for the majority and not just a few, urging collective efforts to build a stronger, equitable nation.
