Minimum Wage: Labour Convenes Emergency Meeting Over Delay

Hours after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) postponed the discussion on the new minimum wage, members of the organized labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have convened an emergency meeting.

Scheduled for Wednesday, June 26th at 10 am at the Labour House, the meeting will focus on the delay in making a pronouncement on a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Earlier, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, noted that while all 39 items on the FEC agenda were addressed, the memo on the minimum wage was deferred.

Idris mentioned that the Tripartite Committee, which includes representatives from local governments, states, the NLC/TUC, and the federal government, had submitted its report. However, the Council could not take a decision as the issue involves multiple stakeholders, including local governments, states, the federal government, the organized private sector, and labour unions.

Idris explained that the memo on the new minimum wage was postponed to allow President Bola Tinubu to conduct broader consultations before a final submission is made to the National Assembly.

According to a top NLC official, the leadership of both labour unions will meet to solidify their position before the President’s consultation. “Even though we had a position already, we will meet tomorrow morning (Wednesday) to fine-tune our position before we’re consulted. It is important for us,” the official stated.

The organized labour had previously declared an indefinite strike on June 1st, which significantly disrupted economic activities in the country.