The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has revealed that the organised Labour rejected an earlier proposal by President Bola Tinubu to pay N250,000 as new minimum wage
On Thursday, DAILY GIST reported that the President, in a meeting with labour leaders on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, agreed to pay N70,000 as the new national minimum wage for workers.
Speaking to reporters at the State House after meeting with President Bola Tinubu, the NLC president cited several incentives accompanying the wage increase as key reasons for their acceptance.
One of the primary reasons for the acceptance, according to Ajaero, was President Tinubu’s commitment to reviewing the minimum wage every three years, a significant improvement over previous practices.
Ajaero, while answering questions on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday said the unions rejected the N250,000 offer because it was accompanied by increase in petrol prices
He stated the labour movement can make sacrifices without allowing Nigerians to suffer further on the increase in the petrol pump price.
“Accepting N70,000 was the best way to save Nigerians from further hardship,” he said.
“At last week’s meeting, the President brought a proposal that ‘I will give you guys ₦250,000’ if you allow me to equally increase the pump price of petroleum products’ and we said, ‘No, we need to go and consult’.
“Today, we went there to tell him, ‘No’. The labour movement can make sacrifices without allowing Nigerians to suffer further on the increase in the pump price of petroleum products.”
DAILY GIST recalls that Tinubu in his inaugural on May 29, 2023 has announced that the end of fuel Subsidy regime.
The policy forced the pump price of petrol to jump from N184 per litre in May 2023 to over N700 at the moment.
President Tinubu is expected to send an executive bill to the National Assembly on the agreed rate for onward legislation.
