The National Assembly will Tuesday get an executive bill on the new national minimum wage following an agreement between President Bola Tinubu and labour leaders on higher remuneration for workers.
On Thursday, the President and the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria led by their presidents Joe Ajaero and Festus Osifo agreed on N70,000 as the new national minimum wage during their meeting at the Aso Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The wage will replace the N30,000 minimum wage that expired on April 18, 2024.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga confirmed to The Punch that the lawmakers would get the executive bill on the new minimum wage by Tuesday.
He said: “The minimum wage will reach the National Assembly by Tuesday. He (President Tinubu) told labour in the meeting that it will be ready by Tuesday.”
Announcing the new wage benchmark, the President said: “I have heard all your presentations. You came here with the intention to get something on behalf of your members. If you review my track record, I have never been found wanting to ameliorate the problems of workers. I belong to the people and all of you in leadership.
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“We are driving this economy together. Let us look at the tenure of review. Let us agree on that, and affirm three years. Two years is too short. We affirm three years. We will review it.
“I am going to move from the tripartite committee. I am going to edge a little bit forward, looking at the review that we have done. Yes, no one in the federal establishment should earn less than N70,000. So, we are going to benchmark at N70,000.”
The Tripartite Committee on the New National Minimum Wage set up in January had submitted two separate figures to the President following a disagreement among the stakeholders.
While the government team and the organized private sector proposed N62,000, organized labour demanded N250,000.
On receiving the committee’s report, the President asked for more time to consult the relevant stakeholders to harmonize the figures before transmitting an executive bill to the National Assembly.
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