Organized Labor plans emergency meeting as minimum wage report reaches President Tinubu

Organized labour is preparing to hold an emergency meeting to determine their next steps after submitting the national minimum wage tripartite committee report to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Benson Upah, spokesperson for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), disclosed this according to Daily Post on Monday. He stated that the meeting’s outcome would decide if organized labour would resume its strike in the coming days.

“The appropriate organs of the two unions will meet, and once they do, whatever decision they make will be communicated to the public,” Upah said, though he did not specify the meeting date.

The tripartite committee, which met on Monday, presented their report to the federal government, proposing a new minimum wage.

The federal government offered N62,000, while organized labour insisted on N250,000. The report also included proposals from state governors and the organized private sector, suggesting N57,000 and N62,000, respectively.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation confirmed receipt of the report on Monday. Attention now turns to President Tinubu, who is expected to act on the report and pass an executive bill on the minimum wage to the National Assembly before June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day.

NLC President Joe Ajaero, speaking from the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, mentioned that a strike would not resume on Tuesday.

He emphasized that organized labour is awaiting President Tinubu’s decision on the report.

“We are waiting for the decision of the President. Our National Executive Council (NEC) will deliberate on the new figure when it is out,” Ajaero said.

Organized labour had previously suspended an indefinite strike that shut down the country’s economy for a week.

The government’s new offer of N62,000, an increase of just N2,000 from the previous offer, still falls significantly short of labour’s proposed N250,000 minimum wage. Ajaero noted that the difference remains a wide gulf.