- To be reviewed every 3 years
By Chesa Chesa
After several weeks of consultations and anxiety, the Federal Government and labour unions on Thursday agreed on a new national minimum wage of N70,000, up from the current N30,000.
A legislative bill to give legal backing to the decision is expected to be forwarded by the presidency to the National Assembly next week for consideration an passage into law for the President to sign it into law.
The collective decision was arrived at during a meeting between government delegation led by President Bola Tinubu and the labour unions led by Joe Ajaero of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) an Festus Osifo of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
President Tinubu convened the meeting at the Presidential Villa with a view to settling the back and forth between government and organised labour, which had initially demanded for N615,000 before scaling down to N250,000 after series of meetings and consultations.
The consultations had been done through a tripartite committee that comprised representative of federal Nd state government as well as organised private sector.
Announcing the decision on the new minimum wage to State House correspondent, after the parley at the Presidential Villa, Minister of Information an National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed that the N70,000 would be reviewed every three years instead of current five years, in view of whatever economic indices would be in future.
He also said both parties agreed on government supporting workers and the general populace with cheaper public transportation through CNG-fueled vehicles.
President Tinubu further directed th Ministries of Finance, and Budget/National Planning to quickly resolve outstanding issues between government and some non-academic labour unions in the universities, which are threatening industrial action.
