Senate President Godswill Akpabio has called on Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to continue the payment of the N35,000 wage award to workers as negotiations on the new minimum wage remain unresolved.
Akpabio made this appeal on Sunday during a closed-door meeting with leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and several ministers, amidst the unions’ planned industrial action.
Addressing the union leaders, Akpabio emphasized the importance of resuming negotiations and suspending the strike for the sake of the nation.
“I hope you know we are also labourers. We are all labourers. We are under you,” he remarked.
Akpabio acknowledged the prolonged nature of the minimum wage negotiations and the establishment of a tripartite committee to address the issue, factoring in variables such as the removal of the fuel subsidy and the elapsed time since the last minimum wage adjustment.
Akpabio Stated, “We have been making appeals and asked the NLC and TUC to shelve the proposed strike and return to the negotiating table to resolve the issue.
“I appeal that the strike be suspended for negotiations to continue in the interest of Nigerians and the nation.”
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“The leadership of both chambers is aware that there was a tripartite committee in place to negotiate with labour on the new minimum wage for the country, taking cognisance of all the variables, including the removal of fuel subsidy, including the expiration of time since the last minimum wage was imputed.
“We are aware that those negotiations have taken quite a while. We are aware that the federal government, in its wisdom through Bola Ahmed Tinubu, decided to institute a wage award of N35,000 at the federal level for workers pending the outcome of negotiations of a new minimum wage,” he added.
The NLC and TUC commenced their strike on Monday, protesting the federal government’s refusal to increase the minimum wage above N60,000. The unions are demanding a new minimum wage of N494,000.
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