…Asks Labour to return to negotiating table, embrace reasonable, realistic wages
…Yearly wage amounts to N9.5trn yearly
From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
Following the decision by the organised labour to embark on an indefinite strike on Monday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said the sum of N494,000 national minimum wage being demanded by organized labour is unsustainable.
The Minister, in a statement issued by his media aide, Rabiu Ibrahim, also said cumulatively, the total demand amounts to the sum of N9.5 trillion yearly and is capable of destabilizing the economy and jeopardizing the welfare of over 200 million Nigerians.
Idris further said the offer of N60,000 minimum wage by the Federal Government, which translates to a 100 percent increase on the existing minimum wage of 2019, has been accepted by the organized private sector, which is a member of the tripartite committee of the negotiations team.
Idris said: “The Federal Government’s New Minimum Wage proposal amounts to a 100 percent increase on the existing minimum wage 2019. Labour, however, wanted N494,000, which would increase by 1,547 percent on the existing wage.
“The sum of N494,000 national minimum wage which Labour is seeking would cumulatively amount to the sum N9.5 trillion bill to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“Nigerians need to understand that whereas the FG is desirous of ample remuneration for Nigerian workers, what is most critical is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not encourage any action that could lead to massive job loss, especially in the private sector, who may not be able to pay the wage demanded by the Organised Labour.”
Idris also said even though labour is keen on the take-home pay of about 1.2 million workers, the Federal Government is concerned with the welfare of over 200 million Nigerians based on its Guiding Principle of Affordability, Sustainability, and the overall health of the nation’s economy.
He urged the Organised Labour to return to the negotiating table and embrace reasonable and realistic wages for their members.
Idris added that as a result of the commitment of the Tinubu administration to the welfare of workers, the wage award of 35,000 for Federal workers would continue until a new national minimum wage is introduced.