Minimum wage: Strike looms as FG warns labour, discloses actual amount it is willing to pay workers

• The N250,000 minimum wage demand has become a major concern of the Tinubu's led government
• While the federal government urged labour to reconsider its demand based on economic realities, the NLC and the TUC have urged Tinubu to accept its demand
• Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy, described labour as selfish and insisted that FG can only afford to pay N62,000, urging NLC to be realistic

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

On Sunday, June 16, the presidency insisted that the N250,000 minimum wage clamour by organised labour is unsustainable.

President Bola Tinubu and the leaders of the NLC and the TUC. Photo credit: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria Labour Congress HQ
Source: Facebook

Minimum wage: FG proposed 62,000, warns labour

The federal government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu disclosed this, and warned that it cannot channel all its resources to meet such a demand.

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

The warning comes two days after the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) raised concerns over the N62,000 the federal government is proposing.

The ALGON said if approved, the wage may put a strain on the councils’ financial burden.

Meanwhile, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) maintained that the federal government must accede to its demands on minimum wage, given the country's current realities.

The NLC, led by Joe Ajaero, stated this while faulting President Bola Tinubu's statement during a meeting with some governors and members of the national assembly on the occasion of the nation’s 25th Democracy Day anniversary.

250,000 demand: Bayo Onanuga described labour as selfish

Speaking on behalf of the presidency, the special adviser to President Tinubu on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that unless the NLC and TUC were selfish, they should consider that the resources meant for the entire Nigerians could not be channeled to only the benefit of their members who are not more than 10 percent of the entire population.

In an interview with The Punch, Onanuga said:

“That is why we keep telling labour to be realistic because the government cannot use all its resources to pay workers. They have other things to do. The workers we are even talking about are not up to 10 per cent of the population. Many people are self-employed or engaged in the private sector, who are not members of Labour, and are not affected by this demand.“This is even more reason why labour has to reconsider their decision critically instead of always striving to shut down the system. What the FG did was in consultation with the private sector and others. Only Labour, which appears to be in the minority, kept saying they won’t accept N62,000. They are not even employers but employees.“Let us wait and hear what they are going to say after their return from the ILO conference. But they have to be realistic.”

Minimum Wage: NLC slams Tinubu over offer, payment

Legit.ng previously reported that organised labour has faulted President Bola Tinubu's statement regarding the payment of new minimum wage to workers in the country.

The NLC, led by Joe Ajaero, tackled Tinubu for saying he would pay Nigerian workers what his government can afford.

The spokesperson of the NLC, Benson Upah, reacted to the president's statement and explained what his government should do regarding the wage dispute.

Source: Legit.ng