According to information provided by Comrade Festus Osifo, President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), President Bola Tinubu is planning to announce a new minimum salary for Nigerian workers in the upcoming week.
The announcement follows an important discussion over ending fuel subsidies between the TUC and the federal government.
President Tinubu and Minister of Finance Wale Edun have been in conversations about the wage issue, according to the federal government’s Minister of Labor Simon Lalong.
On Tuesday evening, September 19, 2023, Comrade Osifo made an appearance on ChannelsTV’s “Politics Today” program and discussed these ideas.
Nigeria is not open for business, that is not the question. How much of the world is actually willing to conduct business with Nigeria and Africa on an equitable, mutually beneficial basis?”The minister of labor informed us that he met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the minister of finance to discuss the salary award issue. But before he makes the statement, the president urged them to polish the concerns, the TUC president said.
Osifo emphasized further that the TUC has issued a two-week deadline for the federal government to respond to their demands or risk the possibility of widespread industrial action.
The TUC remained resolute in their resolve for a speedy resolution despite Minister Lalong’s request for more time because of the president’s travel obligations.
“The minister assured us that all of these matters would be simplified, but since the president has traveled, we should give him an additional two weeks,” the minister said. We refused since we couldn’t give an extra two weeks. After further debate, he declared that the president will properly announce next week, said Osifo.
Along with the minimum wage, the TUC and the federal government have discussed how to distribute palliatives to the various states.
Comrade Osifo emphasized their dedication to keeping an eye on the efficient and equitable distribution of these relief measures while expressing a desire to carefully review the implementation pattern. During the meetings, concerns about taxes and compressed natural gas (CNG) were also brought up. “In a positive way,” Tinubu remarked.
He insisted that African growth must be prioritized by international organizations, other countries, and their private sector operators.