The Federal Government says, in the national interest, it is ready to offer a higher national minimum wage than the N60,000 it earlier proposed to the tripartite committee deliberating on the issue.
The government’s decision was disclosed at a meeting of the committee convened Monday night by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, after the organised labour embarked on an indefinite strike to press its demand on the national minimum wage.
In a circular jointly issued by the committee members at the end of the meeting and made available to newsmen, it was resolved that President Bola Tinubu expressed his commitment to a national minimum wage higher than N60,000.
“Arising from the above, the Tripartite Committee is to meet every day for the next one week with a view to arriving at an agreeable national minimum wage.
“Labour, in deference to the high esteem of the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria’s commitment above, undertakes to convene a meeting of its organs immediately to consider this commitment.
“The committee also resolved that no worker will be victimised as a result of the industrial action,” the circular read in part.
In attendance at the meeting were: Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, and Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State for Labour and Employment.
For the Organised Labour: Joe Ajaero, President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and Festus Osifo, President, Trade Union Congress (TUC).
It will be recalled that following the negotiation by the tripartite committee on the national minimum wage and the subsequent withdrawal of Labour from negotiation and its indefinite strike, the government had convened the meeting with labour.
