President Bola Tinubu has announced that a consensus on the new national minimum wage has been reached between the Federal Government and organized labour. In his Democracy Day broadcast on Wednesday, Tinubu revealed that an executive bill will soon be presented to the National Assembly to formalize the new minimum wage agreement.
“In this spirit, we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with organized labour on a new national minimum wage. We shall soon send an executive bill to the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law for the next five years or less,” Tinubu stated.
The President highlighted his administration’s democratic approach to addressing the demands of labour unions, emphasizing cooperation over conflict. “In the face of labour’s call for a national strike, we did not seek to oppress or crack down on the workers as a dictatorial government would have done. We chose the path of cooperation over conflict. No one was arrested or threatened. Instead, the labour leadership was invited to break bread and negotiate toward a good-faith resolution,” he said.
Tinubu reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that no Nigerian is oppressed and emphasized the importance of taking the right path for the nation’s progress. “I take on this vital task without fear or favour and I commit myself to this work until we have built a Nigeria where no man is oppressed. In the end, our national greatness will not be achieved by travelling the easy road. It can only be achieved by taking the right one,” he added.
Addressing the nation, Tinubu urged Nigerians to remain hopeful and proactive. “We dare not slumber lest the good things awaiting our immediate future pass us by. We dare not plant our feet in an idle standstill in the middle of the intersection of hope and despair. We know the proper way forward and we shall take it! The initial rays of a brighter tomorrow now appear on the early horizon,” he said.
The President’s announcement comes after organized labour embarked on a nationwide indefinite strike on June 3, protesting the government’s initial refusal to raise the proposed minimum wage from N60,000. Despite multiple meetings, the government and labour unions had struggled to reach an agreement, with labour demanding N250,000 while the government and the Organised Private Sector had settled on N62,000.
Chris Onyeka, Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, stated that labour would not accept the latest offer of N62,000 or the N100,000 proposal made by some individuals and economists.
However, with the new agreement and impending legislative action, there is renewed hope for a resolution that addresses the needs and concerns of all parties involved.
“We shall move forward together, ensuring the fire of democracy continues to burn brightly for generations to come,” Tinubu concluded.
