President Bola Tinubu recently proposed the idea of adjusting wages at shorter intervals of two or three years, instead of every five years.
He said this while expressing his concern for the welfare of Nigerian workers, whilst calling for realistic expectations regarding the minimum wage.
This was shared at a meeting with Members of organized labour on the new minimum wage at the State House, which had in attendance, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, some ministers, heads of agencies, and aides to the president.
The meeting followed the president’s decision to engage more with stakeholders before making a definite decision on the matter.
According to President Tinubu,
“I pay attention to everything around me. A happy worker is a productive worker, and society depends on the productivity of the happy worker. You have to cut your clothes according to the available clothes.
“Before we can finalize the minimum wage process, we have to look at the structure. Why must we adjust wages every 5 years? Why not two? Why not three years? What is a problem today can be eased up tomorrow. We can take a surgical approach that is based on pragmatism and a deep understanding of all factors”.
What they said
The various stakeholders engaged in the discussion addressing the minimum wage affecting Nigeria’s economic challenges had this to say:
The President of the Trade Union Congress, Festus Osifo, said,
“As has been said in the meeting, we try to put issues on the table, issues that are biting Nigerians, the economic difficulties, and how the value of the Naira has also eroded.
“How this has affected the prices of commodities and goods in the market”.
The Nigeria Labour Congress Leader, Joe Ajaero, explained that in real terms, it was not a negotiation but a discussion which had reached an agreement. He noted that the status quo in terms of the amounts, N250,000 and N62,000, would remain until the conversation was finished.
The Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha emphasized the positive outcome of the meeting saying, “When father and children talk, you know what it is. That’s just exactly what has happened, and it took us almost like an hour. I believe that it’s all for good”.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris in a similar vein, indicated that the president was keeping to his promise to consult.
He emphasized, “He doesn’t just want to take any decision. It’s a decision that affects all of us, so he is consulting with the sub-nationals. Consultation with the organized private sector is ongoing. You have also seen that this consultation with organized labour has also happened today. They’ve asked for a week. Like I said earlier, we’re going to meet with them again. Hopefully, we’ll have something that all of us will agree on.
Albeit, Nigerians will be looking forward to next week when these engagements will be concluded, and a decision taken.
