Minimum wage: We are not opponents on this negotiation table, FG tells striking Labour

The Federal Government has issued an earnest entreaty to striking labour unions, saying that the authorities is not an hostile connected this negotiating table.

The Guardian reports that organised labour had declared a nationwide onslaught implicit a projected caller minimum wage aft a gathering betwixt the tripartite committee connected nationalist minimum wage and representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its Trade Union Congress (TUC) failed to scope an statement connected a caller minimum wage and the reversal of the caller hike successful energy tariffs.

The Federal Government, done the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the authorities volition proceed to prosecute and proceed to marque itself “very available” successful the discourse of these negotiations connected behalf of the people.

FG, successful the statement, noted its efforts to alleviate economical pressures done initiatives similar the National Consumer Credit Scheme and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

It added that alleviation for Nigerians would travel not lone from accrued wages but besides from measures to trim the outgo of surviving and to guarantee that much wealth stays successful the pockets of Nigerians.

The presidency added that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains committed to a tenable and sustainable result successful the minimum wage negotiations, urging the labour unions to reciprocate this committedness for the nation’s welfare.

The connection read, “This is simply a heartfelt and profoundly considered entreaty to the labour unions to proceed on the way of negotiations with the national and authorities governments, nether the auspices of the tripartite committee that has been established to manner retired a new, realistic minimum wage for the Nigerian people.

“As Government, we are desirous of a peaceful outcome, and we volition bash everything to marque this happen. Yesterday, the enactment of the National Assembly met with the unions. Today, we person offered different invitation to the unions, to conscionable with america and proceed our discussions.

“We volition proceed to engage, and proceed to marque ourselves precise disposable successful the discourse of these negotiations connected behalf of the Nigerian people

“Let maine marque it wide that we are not opponents connected this negotiating table. We are agreed by the information that we privation the champion for the Federal Republic of Nigeria and for each 200 cardinal citizens of the country.

“We person a work to onslaught a measured and realistic balance, successful this effort to get astatine a caller minimum wage for Nigerians.

“Let america punctual ourselves of the cardinal facts:

“The minimum wage is not lone for nationalist assemblage workers. It volition beryllium binding connected the backstage assemblage arsenic well. This world indispensable beryllium factored into the negotiations.

“As I person explained earlier, Labour’s existent connection of N494,000 is an summation of 1,547 percent connected the existing wage, and translates into an yearly wage measure of N9.5 trillion  for the Federal Government of Nigeria alone.

“This is isolated from its outgo implications for subnational governments and backstage assemblage employees. Such a wage measure would cripple the Nigerian economy, by starring to monolithic occupation losses particularly successful the backstage sector.

“The National Consumer Credit Scheme and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) are further important demonstrations of a determination to bring alleviation to the radical of Nigeria.

“We privation the labour unions to recognize that the alleviation that Nigerians are expecting, and that they afloat deserve, volition not travel lone successful the signifier of accrued wages. It volition besides travel arsenic efforts to trim the outgo of living, and to guarantee that much wealth stays successful the pockets of Nigerians.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) is firmly committed to doing what is right, tenable and sustainable regarding these minimum wage negotiations. We telephone connected the Labour Unions to reciprocate this motion successful the involvement of the nation.”