BREAKING: Wale Edun Beats Deadline, To Present New Minimum Wage Template Today

By Osaiyekemwen Confidence

Wale Edun, the Finance Minister, is set to present a new minimum wage template to President Bola Tinubu today, Wednesday, June 5, 2024. The announcement was made by the Minister of Information, Idris Mohammed, during an interview with newsmen on Tuesday at the State House in Abuja.

This development comes in the wake of the organized labor’s decision to suspend its strike for five days, following an agreement with the federal government to raise the minimum wage above N60,000.

In his statement, Mohammed emphasized the government’s commitment to addressing workers’ welfare and working on a balanced and practical wage template. “The government has just summoned the meeting of all those who negotiated on behalf of the federal government, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). The Minister of Finance, the Minister of Budget and Economy Planning, myself, and others were all there to look at those issues,” Mohammed explained.

He further stated that President Tinubu had directed the Finance Minister to finalize the figures and present them between Tuesday and Wednesday. “The president has directed the Minister of Finance to do the numbers and get back to him between today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday). So that we can have some figures ready for negotiations.”

Mohammed assured that the government is not opposed to wage increases and is focused on ensuring a balance between government pronouncements and what is feasible. “Let me say that Mr. President is determined to go with what the committee has said. He is also looking at the welfare of Nigerians. As I said earlier, the government is not an opponent of labor discussion. We are not an opponent of wage increase. But what is there is that we are always desirous of ensuring that there is a balance between what the government pronouncement is and what is readily available on the ground,” he added.

The new minimum wage template is anticipated to address the concerns of workers and provide a sustainable framework for future negotiations.