The leaders of the organised labour unions have revealed why they accepted the new minimum wage of N70,000 for Nigerian workers, as approved by President Bola Tinubu.
News About Nigeria reports that this decision was announced after a meeting between the labour leaders and President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday.
According to Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information, the President presented the offer to the labour leaders during the meeting.
Comrade Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), confirmed that the unions have accepted the offer while briefing reporters after the meeting.
Flanked by Comrade Festus Usifo, President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other representatives of Nigerian workers who attended the meeting, Ajaero said the unions agreed to the offer because of other incentives attached.
He said another reason for accepting the offer is because the president promised a review every three years as opposed to what has been obtained in the past.
The acceptance of the N70,000 minimum wage marks a significant development in the ongoing negotiations between the labour unions and the federal government.
Over the past few months, labour unions, federal and state governments, and the private sector have been deliberating on a new minimum wage.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) proposed N494,000 as the new minimum wage, citing inflation and the prevailing economic hardship in the country, while rejecting the federal government’s proposed N60,000 offer.
On June 7, state governors under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) said a N60,000 minimum wage would be unsustainable
