- FG Agrees To Pay More Than N60,000 As Minimum Wage
- Tripartite Committee To Meet Daily For Next One Week To Determine New Wage
- Labour Will Convene Urgent Meeting To Consider FG’s Commitment
After a long deliberation, the Federal Government and organized labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC); the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other affiliate bodies have reached a truce regarding the industrial action that has grounded commercial activities across the country.
The Matrix reports that businesses, airports, hospitals, power supply were affected as labour commenced a nationwide strike on Monday, June 3, 2024.
Workers downed their tools across the nation as the organized labour began their industrial action over the hike in electricity tariff and a failure to reach an agreement on a new minimum wage.
READ ALSO: NLC, TUC Threaten To Shut Down Dams Over Electricity Tariff Hike
The industrial action affected businesses and critical services across the country including schools, hospitals, and power supply as workers complied with the TUC and NLC’s order leaving air passengers stranded, hospital patients unattended to and Nigerians thrown into pitch black darkness.
However, after an urgently convened meeting on Monday, June 3, 2024, the federal government and organised labour reached an agreement on the fixing of a new minimum wage that is above N60,000.
George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) read the resolutions reached at the end of the meeting.
The resolution reads; “Further to the negotiation by the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage (NMW) and subsequent withdrawal of Labour from negotiation, the Leadership of the National Assembly intervened on 2nd June, 2024.
“The Organised Labour declared nationwide strike on Monday, 3rd June, 2024 to drive home its demands. The Federal Government, in the National interest, convened a meeting with Labour held in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, on Monday 3rd June, with a view to ending the strike action.
“After exhaustive deliberation and engagement by both parties, the following resolutions were reached:
READ ALSO: Strike: National Minimum Wage Act 2019 Has Expired, Says Falana
“The President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria is committed to a National Minimum Wage that is higher than N60,000;
“Arising from the above, the Tripartite Committee is to meet every day for the next one week with a view to arriving at an agreeable National Minimum Wage;
“Labour in deference to the high esteem of the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria’s commitment in (ii) above undertakes to convene a meeting of its organs immediately to consider this commitment; and No worker would be victimized as a result of the industrial action”.
The resolution was signed by Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha Minister of State for Labour and National Orientation and Employment signed on behalf of the Federal Government while Joe Ajaero, President, NLC and Festus Osifo President, TUC signed for organized labour.
Meanwhile, Onyejeocha, has assured Nigerian workers that the N35,000 wage award approved for them by the Federal Government will continue until the new minimum wage is settled.
The Federal Government in October last year agreed to pay N35,000 to workers to cushion the hardship occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy on the workers.
Recently, there has been uncertainty about whether the payment of the wage award will continue, with many saying that it was meant to run for only six months.
However, Onyejeocha, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, while appealing to the members of organised labour who embarked on strike on Monday to suspend their strike and return for negotiations,
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She also confirmed that the wage award will not stop until a new minimum wage is agreed.
“I said it time without number that labour are Nigerians like me and you, there is nothing that the Federal government is hiding from them, the book is open and we have not closed negotiations.
“We want them to return to the table and conclude the negotiations so that the Nigerian workers will know where they are. Besides, the N35,000 wage award is continuing.
“The Federal Government will continue to pay it until the minimum wage is settled and of course, the minimum wage, if it ends today, we are going to take it back from when the old one ended which is April 18th, so they won’t lose anything.,” Onyejeocha said.
