Seek A Realistic Minimum Wage – FG To Labour

The Federal Government has appealed to the Organised Labour to agree on a minimum wage that won’t harm the economy and result in widespread worker layoffs.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the appeal while declaring open the 2024 Synod of the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday, June 12.

Idris stated that the federal government is not opposed to the increase of wages for workers but is pushing for a wage system that is both realistic and sustainable for the workers.

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He said: “As I have repeatedly said, the Federal Government is not opposed to the increase of wages for Nigerian Workers but we keep on advocating for a realistic and sustainable wage system for the workers – a wage system that will not undermine the economy, lead to mass retrenchment of workers and jeopardize the welfare of about 200 million Nigerians.

“We want the Labour Unions to understand that the relief that Nigerians are expecting, and that they fully deserve, will not come only in the form of an increase in wages.

“It will also come as efforts to reduce the cost of living and to ensure that more money stays in the pockets of Nigerians. And this is where programs like the Presidential CNG initiative come in. By replacing or complementing petrol usage with CNG that program alone will cut transportation costs by as much as 50 percent.”