President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday said the majority N62,000 minimum wage proposal by the federal government and the Organised Private Sector (OPS) was negotiated in good faith.
The president’s assertion was disclosed in his speech to mark the 25th anniversary of Democracy celebrated June 12.
Recall the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma had expressed optimism, that the federal government and OPS N62,000 proposal would be enacted as law.
According to him, “Arising from what happened in 2018, when the government lost after offering N24,000 and OPS and Labour offered N30,000.
“When the recommendation got to the then-president, he approved and took the opposition party. In the same margin, we expect when this gets to the president, he will also take the majority position”.
However, the President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Festus Osifo while reiterating the organised labour demand of N250,000 told THE WHISTLER “There is nothing really about the majority proposal, because Labour creates wealth, and we are those who create wealth, we are those who wear the shoes and know where the shoe pinches also.
“We believe that Mr President is reasonable enough and understands what Nigerians are passing through having promised Nigerians a living wage, that he will consider our positions and our Plight”.
But addressing the N62,000 minimum wage proposal, the president said, “In this spirit, we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with organized labour on a new national minimum wage.
“We shall soon send an executive bill to the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law for the next five years or less.
“In the face of labour’s call for a national strike, we did not seek to oppress or crack down on the workers as a dictatorial government would have done. We chose the path of 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”.
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 president said