Labour leaders in meeting with Tinubu over new minimum wage

Leaders of organised labour have arrived the presidential villa for a meeting with President Bola Tinubu.

The representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) arrived in a white Toyota Hiace Bus at 2pm and were led straight into the president’s office.

TheCable understands that a new minimum wage for workers will be arrived at during today’s meeting.

Labour has insisted on a N250,000 minimum wage ahead of the meeting with the president.

On June 3, the labour unions grounded the nation’s economy over the minimum wage dispute.

The NLC and TUC had proposed N494,000 as the new national minimum wage, citing inflation and the prevailing economic hardship in the country, while rejecting the federal government’s N60,000 minimum wage offer.

On June 7, state governors under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), said a N60,000 minimum wage would prove unsustainable.

At the last meeting of the tripartite committee, organised labour rejected the N62,000 proposed by the government and lowered its demand to N250,000.

The federal government had asked the labour unions to demand a more realistic and sustainable wage.

Tinubu had also directed Wale Edun, minister of finance, to present the cost implications for a new minimum wage.

Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, said the presentation would form the basis of further negotiations.