Minimum wage: Tinubu orders Finance Minister to present cost implications in 48hrs

…As Senate prepares to fast-track bill

 …Strike not suspended, only relaxed for one week — NLC President

…Airline operators resume operations

…National grid restored

By Our Correspondents

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, to estimate the cost implications of a new minimum wage that is affordable, sustainable, and realistic, and present the figures within two days.

He gave this directive at a meeting on Tuesday with the government negotiation team, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who briefed correspondents after the closed-door meeting, the President instructed the Minister of Finance to come up with the cost implications that will serve as the basis for negotiation with organised labour.

The government negotiation team includes Ministers of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Labour, Information, as well as the GMD/CEO of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited.

He stated, “The President has just summoned a meeting of all those who negotiated on behalf of the federal government led by the secretary to the government of the federation, the Minister of Finance was there the Minister of budget planning, the Minister of Information, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, the Minister of Labour, and the NNPC Ltd GMD.

“We were all there to look at all issues and the president has directed the minister of finance to do the numbers and get back to him between today and tomorrow so that we can have figures ready for negotiation with labour.”

President Tinubu has pledged to prioritize the well-being of Nigerians and is prepared to accept the recommendations of the committee’s negotiations with Labour, according to Idris. The federal government is committed to finding a balance between its obligations and the nation’s economic constraints, Idris added.

Meanwhile, The Senate has pledged to expedite the consideration and passage of a new Minimum Wage Bill, following the suspension of the indefinite strike by the Organised Labour.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, commended the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) for their decision to suspend the strike for five days, allowing for uninterrupted negotiations with the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage.

Earlier, Senator Diket Plang, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour and Employment, had sponsored a motion urging the NLC and TUC to suspend their strike.

However, during the debate, the Senate learned that the labour unions had already suspended their strike action for one week to facilitate further negotiations with the Federal Government.

Consequently, the Senate stepped down the motion and vowed to prioritiSe the passage of the new Minimum Wage Bill.

Akpabio said, “Taking it (motion) will mean that we are jumping the gun and trying to settle the issues for them.

“There are many variables that they will look at – capacity to pay and the ability of states, local governments and private sector to even pay.

“They will also be looking at the fact that if the minimum wage is too high, then the possibility of retrenchment of workers will occur and I think they will do comparative analysis to know that the last minimum wage which was fixed at N30,000.00 by this parliament as an Act of the National Assembly, how many states were able to pay? How many local governments were able to pay? How many employers were able to pay?

“We’ll be looking at those things because it’s important that a holistic approach be looked at and I have taken the suggestion that we should not rest until we arrive at an amicable resolution of the issue and that the National Assembly should also continue to make its own contributions towards the ongoing negotiations.

“On that note, I want to thank the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress for listening to the voice of Nigerians and the international community by calling off the strike to enable negotiations to continue and we wish them well in the negotiations.

“On our part, we will continue to do our best by making contributions and at the same time awaiting the incoming Bill on Minimum Wage for us to enact for the benefit of all Nigerians.”

…Strike not suspended, only relaxed for one week — Ajaero

President of Nigerian Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, has clarified that the organised labour is yet to suspend its ongoing strike.

Recall that NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have announced a temporary suspension of the ongoing strike action, putting the fight for a new minimum wage on hold for five days.

The labour leader said the strike was merely relaxed for one week to allow the organised labour to negotiate with the government.

According to him, the strike will resume if both parties fail to agree on the minimum wage.

“The outcome of yesterday’s meeting shows some commitment, so we can now talk freely to get the desired threshold,” he explained.

He said, “We didn’t suspend strike, we only relaxed action for one week.”

…Airline operators resume operations as labour suspends strike

In addition, flight operations are set to resume as labour unions have temporarily suspended the strike for one week.

Unions in the aviation industry have dismantled all barricades at the domestic wings of the airport, allowing both people and vehicular movement to resume.

Although the airport environment remains relatively deserted following the strike’s suspension, operators are optimistic that some passengers will be flown, gradually reducing the backlog of passengers scheduled for Monday and Tuesday flights.

Airline operators, who anticipated the strike’s suspension, are preparing to restart flight operations.

The General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Ocheme Aba, confirmed the end of the strike, stating that all members have been mobilised back to their offices

“Due to the agreement with the presidency, the strike will be relaxed for one week starting from now to enable the tripartite committee to conclude deliberations on the minimum wage negotiation so flight operations will resume now, have resumed actually because all the blockages have been removed.”

Normal activities at the airport are expected to fully resume by Wednesday (today).

Recall Labour unions in Nigeria downed tools on Monday to register their grievances over the hike in electricity tariff and lack of consensus on a new minimum wage.

The development led to several flight cancellations across Nigeria as aviation unions shut down several airports across the country.

…National grid restored

The National Union of Electricity Employees said the national grid has been restored after the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress suspended their strike.

NUEE National President, Adebiyi Adeyeye, confirmed this to journalists in an interview on Tuesday.

“The strike has been suspended, which means the grid has come back to normal. It is on already,” Adeyeye told our correspondent over the phone.

Recall that organised labour on Monday began a nationwide strike over the Federal Government’s refusal to raise the proposed minimum wage from N60,000 and reverse the Band A tariff to N65 per kilowatt-hour instead of N206/KWh.

In compliance, the electricity workers swung into action by shutting down the national grid, plunging the nation into darkness in the early hours of Monday.

In a statement on Monday, the Transmission Company of Nigeria said its workers on duty were beaten and wounded by union leaders who stormed its offices to send them out.

But Adeyeye debunked the allegation, saying the union only withdrew its members in compliance with the directive of the organised labour.