Minimum Wage: We didn’t seek to oppress or crack down on labour – Tinubu 

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Amidst the organised labour’s push for the enactment of the new minimum wage Act, President Bola Tinubu said his administration did not intend to oppress or suppress workers, as a dictatorial government might have done.

In his Democracy Day broadcast, Tinubu addressed the labour’s call for a national strike, emphasising his administration’s preference for cooperation over conflict.

“No one was arrested or threatened. Instead, the labour leadership was invited to break bread and negotiate toward a good-faith resolution. Reasoned discussion and principled compromise are hallmarks of democracy. These themes shall continue to animate my policies and interaction with the constituent parts of our political economy.

“I take on this vital task without fear or favour and I commit myself to this work until we have built a Nigeria where no man is oppressed.  In the end, our national greatness will not be achieved by travelling the easy road. It can only be achieved by taking the right one. 

“The words of the American President Franklin Roosevelt certainly ring true: There are many ways of going forward. But only one way of standing still. We dare not slumber lest the good things awaiting our immediate future pass us by. We dare not plant our feet in idle standstill in the middle of the intersection of hope and despair. 

 “We know the proper way forward and we shall take it. The initial rays of a brighter tomorrow now appear on the early horizon. An abundant future and our capacity to achieve that future lie within our reach. Democracy and the institutions it begets offer to take us to our profound destination. 

“Let us board this progressive train together. Together, let us move Nigeria forward. Let’s continue to keep the fire of democracy burning. Let’s keep the torch lit for generations to come. May God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria and preserve our democracy.”

Earlier, the NRTC reported that organised labour, comprising the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), embarked on a strike on June 3rd to ensure that the Federal Government passed a new minimum wage into law and reverted the hike in electricity tariffs.

However, the strike was temporarily relaxed to allow for negotiation. During the negotiation process, an agreement was reached with the labour representatives.

In a recent development, the government offered a new minimum wage of N62,000, which the labour stated it would reject, prompting them to resume their relaxed strike.

Although the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) stated that the proposed minimum wage was unsustainable for them, as of press time, the labour has not provided an update on whether it has accepted the new minimum wage offer or resumed the relaxed strike.