Fuel Subsidy Removal: Tinubu Moves To Review Minimum Wage, Consider TUC’ Demands
The Nigerian Government will consider the list of demands from the Trade Union Congress (TUC) which includes minimum wage, a government spokesperson, Dele Alake, said on Sunday.
Representatives of the government met with representatives of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Sunday over the workers union’s demand that the fuel subsidy removal as announced by President Bola Tinubu last Monday should be reverted.
The fuel subsidy removal has seen hikes in the pump prices of premium motor spirit, otherwise called petrol, rise to between N488 and N600 per litre in some stations as against the old price of around N195 per litre.
However, the Nigeria Labour Congress was absent from the meeting which kicked off around 5 pm.
This meeting followed Wednesday’s meeting between government representatives and the NLC and TUC which ended in a deadlock.
Alake told State House correspondents after the meeting which lasted for about three hours that the government would also look at the practicability of the demands made by the TUC, Channels TV reports.
Among the things the government is considering is tax holidays for workers.
Alake said President Tinubu will constitute a tripartite committee to include states and organised labour and the private sector to study the dynamics of the minimum wage augmentation to reach an amicable conclusion.
He said there was no disagreement with the NLC over its demand for a review of the minimum wage or a return to the status quo.
According to him, the absence of NLC representatives from Sunday’s meeting does not translate to an isolation of the group in the discussion.
He said the government was making efforts to reach the NLC as the parties agreed to reconvene on Tuesday, 24 hours before a scheduled strike by the labour congress.
Meanwhile, the TUC has insisted that the government should revert to the old price of fuel while discussions continue.
President of the TUC, Festus Osifo, said the union was hopeful as the government had promised to look into their demands, on top of which is a review of the current minimum wage.
The government’s team was led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.
Other government representatives included the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele; Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari and former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, who was the NLC President between 1999 and 2007.
The TUC team was led by its President, Mr Festus Osifo.
