Abuja,
Members of the organised labour, comprising both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have scheduled an emergency meeting in response to the Federal Executive Council’s (FEC) decision to defer the memo on the new minimum wage.
A senior official at the NLC headquarters disclosed that the meeting will take place at Labour House at 10:00 AM on Wednesday. The agenda is to discuss the FEC’s decision to step down the minimum wage memo.
The delay follows the recent FEC meeting, where the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, confirmed that while all 39 items on the meeting’s agenda were addressed, the memo on the minimum wage was deferred. The Tripartite Committee, which includes representatives from local governments, states, the NLC/TUC, and the federal government, had submitted a report on the minimum wage. However, a decision was postponed because the issue affects multiple stakeholders, including local governments, states, the federal government, the organized private sector, and labour unions.
Minister Idris stated that the President, Bola Tinubu, opted to step down the memo to allow for broader consultations before submitting the final proposal to the National Assembly.
In an interview with Daily Trust, an NLC official, who requested anonymity, emphasized the importance of this consultation. “Even though we had a position already, we will meet tomorrow morning to fine-tune our stance before we’re consulted. It is important for us,” he said.
Earlier this month, the organised labour staged an indefinite strike, which significantly disrupted economic activities nationwide. The strike, which lasted two days, was intended to press the government to address the minimum wage issue.
As the labour unions prepare for the Wednesday meeting, the nation anticipates their unified response to the FEC’s postponement of the minimum wage decision.
