Organised labour and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday met to discuss the minimum wage for workers and the economic situation in the country, a meeting labour leaders described as “discussion but not negotiation”.

National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero said after the meeting: “In a 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”.

Specifically, he said: “So that’s where we are. We didn’t go down there to talk naira and kobo. At least there were some basic issues that we agreed on. We didn’t go into naira and kobo discussions. Now the status quo in terms of the amount N250,000 and N62,000 remains until we finish this conversation.”

Also speaking at the meeting, Comrade Festus Osifo, President Trade Union Congress (TUC) said the meeting looked at the issues “bothering and biting Nigerians today”. He did not elaborate on it.

Mrs Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State for Labour, expressed confidence that the minimum wage issue would be resolved soon. “It is a fruitful meeting, father and children. I think we are hopeful that very soon everything will be resolved,” she said.

“Of course, when father and children talk, you know what it is. That’s just exactly what has happened. It took us almost an hour. I believe that it’s all for good”, she stressed.

On 3 June 2024, the NLC and TUC embarked on a nationwide indefinite strike over the failure of the federal government to agree to their demand for the minimum wage.

The Minimum Wage was due for a review after the statutory five years. To activate the process for a review, the organised labour proposed N494,000 as the new minimum wage, citing inflation and the prevailing economic hardship in the country while rejecting the federal government’s N60,000 offer.

On 7 June 2024, the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) rejected the federal government’s offer insisting that a N60,000 minimum wage would prove unsustainable.

At the last meeting of the tripartite committee set up to negotiate the minimum wage, labour rejected the N62,000 proposed by the government and lowered its demand to N250,000.