From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu may transmit bill on new National Minimum Wage to the National Assembly next week after scheduled meeting with organised labour on Thursday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has disclosed.
The President had last week met with the leadership of the organized labour over the minimum wage issue, with the leaders saying they will return with a position in their next meeting with President Tinubu this week.
The Tripartite Committee of the new National Minimum Wage had submitted two separate figures to the President following the disagreement among the different stakeholders.
While the government team and the organized private sector had offered N62,000, the organized labour made a demand of N250,000.
President Tinubu upon the receipt of the committee’s report, had promised to meet with the relevant stakeholders so as to harmonize the figure before transmitting executive bill to the National Assembly.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, Idris, said that the President will transmit the executive bill after the meeting with the organized labour on Thursday.
He also stated that the executive will send what he described as an amendment to the 2024 budget to the National Assembly.
According to him, the amendment would take care of the new minimum wage among other things.
He said: “Now, you are also aware that last week, the National Labour Congress met the president. This of course was part of the consultation that the President has agreed.
“Recall that he had met the organized sector, he had also met subnationals after the tripartite committee on Labour had submitted its report.
“In order to ensure that there is a thorough analysis of the situation so that government would come up with a minimum wage that works for all Nigerians, federal government, the subnationals and the organized private sector.
“That was also discussed today. And government has also directed the ministry of budgets to also come up with additional support for the 2024 budget, so that any differential or any gaps that will exist in terms of what existed before 2024 budget was approved, a supplementary budget and also what the requirement is for now.
“So government is working around the clock to ensure that it comes up with a minimum wage, like I said that works for all Nigerians. At the end of the day, this of course will be submitted to the National Assembly so that you can have legislative backing.
“Let me also say that the president is also open to meeting the Nigerian Labour, Trade Union Congress, and all the affiliates. We expect that meeting to hold this coming Thursday.
“Recall that this was already what the Labour unions requested during their meeting with Mr. President last week. So the President is in agreement, he knows that the Labour wants to quickly find the lasting solution to the issue of minimum wage and government is also in a hurry to put the issue of minimum wage behind it.
“So it is expected that the NLC, TUC and all the affiliates as requested by them last week, will meet the president on Thursday. And after which the president will now transmit whatever tie final agreement or what his views are on the tripartite committee report to the National Assembly for legislation.”