Organised Labour has denied President Bola Tinubu’s claims of an agreement on new national minimum wages in his Democracy Day broadcast. According to Labour, as of June 7, no agreement was reached by the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage. Instead, Labour proposed N250,000, while the government and Organised Private Sector (OPS) suggested N62,000, which were supposed to be submitted to the President.
The Federal Government has urged Labour to be realistic in their demands, suggesting that relief would come from more than just wage increases.
In a statement, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Acting President Prince Adewale Adeyanju said that any contrary claims were incorrect and unacceptable. He stated: “The NLC attentively listened to the Democracy Day address by President Tinubu concerning the National Minimum Wage negotiations. It appears he was misinformed about the negotiation’s outcome. We have not agreed on a base figure for a National Minimum Wage. Our demand remains N250,000, and we have no reason to change this position.”
Adeyanju emphasized that Labour expects the President to prepare an Executive Bill reflecting the true demands of Nigerian workers and not to be swayed by advisers aiming to undermine workers. He also noted that trade union leaders faced intimidation and harassment during negotiations, which may not have been fully known to the President. Adeyanju reiterated Labour’s belief in the President’s commitment to democracy and urged him to support Nigerian workers and the masses.