By Our Reporter
Following the adjournment of the meeting by the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage in anticipation of the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, submitting the salary template to President Bola Tinubu today, information gleaned from the daily news reveal that Tinubu had received the new salary template from the minister of finance.
Recall that after the strike by the organised labour was suspended Tinubu had on Tuesday directed the finance minister to present the cost implications for a new minimum wage within 48hours.
The President gave the order at a meeting with the government negotiation team led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, at the presidential villa in Abuja
The labour unions had reportedly sheath their sword while awaiting the outcome of the presidential template before proceeding with further negotiations. They hope to continue further deliberations on Thursday after the template have been submitted, as according to some members of the labour union, the template was important to the minimum wage negotiation.
Briefing journalists on the presidential directive, the information minister, Mohammed Idris, expressed optimism on government’s willingness to abide by what the committee has recommended in the interest of all Nigerians.
He said: “Government is not against or opponent of labour discussions; the government is not an opponent of wage increase, but what is there is that government is always there to ensure a balance between what government pronouncement is and what the realities are on the ground.
“And therefore, we will work assiduously to ensure that whatever promises the government makes are promises that will be kept. That is the idea of this meeting.”
Furthermore, he said Tinubu directed the government representatives to work collectively with the organised private sector and the sub-nationals to achieve a new affordable wage award for Nigerians.
Idris explained, “The President has given a marching order that all those who have negotiated on behalf of the Federal Government and all those who are representatives of organised private sectors, the sub-nationals to come together to have a new wage that is affordable, sustainable and realistic for Nigerians.
“The wage is not just that of the Federal Government; as I mentioned earlier, the sub-nationals are involved, the organised private sector is involved; the Labour stepped out during that procedure. Now we have come back to the negotiation table.”
The minister assured that all hands would be on deck to present a new minimum wage for Nigerians in one week.
“All of us will work together assiduously within the next week to ensure that we have a new wage for Nigeria that is acceptable, sustainable and realistic,” Idris said.
The Organised Labour comprising of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress had on Monday embarked on a nationwide strike that lasted until Tuesday, which witnessed the shutting down of the national grid, throwing the country into total darkness, thus crippling economic activities in the nation.
Banks, airports, public schools and courts were shut, forcing the Federal Government to convene an emergency meeting to find a way out of the impasse.
Following a meeting with the SGF, National Assembly leaders, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, on Monday, the unions announced on Tuesday the suspension of industrial action for five days after President Tinubu agreed to pay a national minimum wage higher than N60,000. The tripartite committee pledged its readiness to convene daily until a new minimum wage is announced.
With additional report from Punch