Minimum Wage: No strike tomorrow, says Labour

The Organised Labour has said there will be no strike tomorrow, Tuesday, over the minimum wage negotiation with the Federal Government.

Recall that Labour suspended its strike action for one week, while meetings with the government held to determine the new minimum wage. The suspension ends today.

However, on Monday, speaking at the ongoing International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, President, Joe Ajaero, said there will be no strike tomorrow, Tuesday.

Speaking on the sideline of the conference, Ajaero said Labour was no going on strike as they were waiting for the decision of President Bola Tinubu.

He said after the President’s decision, Labour’s National Executive Council, NEC, will deliberate on the new figure.

Ajaero, the NLC President said: “The tripartite committee submitted two figures to the President. Government and employers proposed N62,000, while labour proposed N250,000.

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

“We cannot declare strike now because the figures are with the President. We will wait for the President’s decision.

“During the tenure of the immediate past President, the figure proposed to him was N27,000 by the tripartite committee.

“But he increased it to N30,000. We are hopeful that this President will do the right thing. The President had noted that the difference between N62,000 and N250,000 is a wide gulf.”

..on governors’ stand

Furthermore, the labour leader also spoke on the 36 states’ governors’ claim that they cannot pay the N60,000 minimum wage proposed by the governmental employers.

Ajaero said: “How can any governor say he cannot pay? They cannot also be calling for the decentralisation of the minimum wage.

“Are there wages decentralised?

“Governors whose states are not contributing a dime to the national purse and who generate pitiable Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, are collecting the same amount as governors whose states are generating billions of dollars into the FAAC.

“They should decentralise their salaries and emoluments first.

“So, where is the governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki, getting his money from? He is paying N70,000 minimum wage.

“This is the type of governor that should be emulated and not the lazy ones.”