Organised Labour Fails To Shift Grounds As Meeting With Tinubu Ends In Deadlock

The minimum wage meeting between the Organised Labour and President Bola Tinubu was on Thursday adjourned without a conclusive agreement.

Naija News reports that the meeting called at the instance of Tinubu ended with no meaningful resolutions reached.

President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, while speaking with journalists after the meeting, said the positions of N250,000 for Labour and N62,000 for the Federal Government still stand.

He said, “I remember mentioning that we didn’t go into Naria and kobo discussion. Now the status quo in terms of the amount N250,000 and N62,000 remains until we finish this conversation.”

Ajaero said their consultations with the Presidency will continue next week as they also have to go back to their organs to relay what the President discussed with them.

He added, “In the real sense, it wasn’t a negotiation but a discussion; and we have had that discussion. We agreed to look at the real terms probably and reconvene in the next one week. So, that’s where we are. Because we didn’t go down there to talk naira and kobo. At least, there were some basic issues that we agreed on.”

Also speaking, Trade Union Congress (TUC) President, Festus Osifo, said President Tinubu made his remarks after the union explained their position.

He said, “In the meeting, we tried to put the issues on the table. Issues that are bothering and biting Nigerians today, the economic difficulties and the value of naira, how it has also eroded, how these have affected the prices commodities and goods in the market.”

“So, we tried to put these before Mr President because he is the President of the country and the bulk stops at his table. We have had all the conversations with all his agents, but today, we said let us meet with the father of the country and have this conversation and make the argument that Labour always make, we made all the arguments, the economic analysis, macro, micro, fiscal and monetary issues.

“So, we put everything forward and at the end, the president made his remark as the president and we all agreed let’s go back, we internalize it, we have some conversation and by one we time, we will come back and we will continue the meeting.”