Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has disclosed why organized labour approved the N70,000 minimum pay during national minimum wage negotiations at the President Villa in Abuja.
Ajaero explained on Friday’s Morning Show on Arise television that during the meeting on the new minimum wage with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, organised labour rejected the offer of an increase in the price of petroleum in order to accept N70,000 as the new minimum wage.
He also stated that when the organized labor agreed with the president on the Compressed Natural Gas, or CNG, option, the labor went on to negotiate with a team of experts who agreed to convert automobiles to CNG.
The NLC boss went on to say that at a meeting with the government team, authorities rejected the NLC agreement and instead declared that converting vehicles to CNG would cost N800,000.
The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress pressed on N250,000 as the new minimum salary, but eventually accepted for the President’s offer of N70,000.
When asked if the President breached the NLC’s confidence by raising gas pump prices despite the purported ‘deal’ with him, Ajaero replied: “I have to tell the story to you, and then we now choose the proper word, whether it is betrayed, deceit, or anything.
“While we were negotiating, we reached a standstill at N62,000; even the states refused to pay, so we went to Mr. President.
“We persisted on N250,000, and Mr President turned to me at the meeting and said, ‘Ajaero, you are the person holding my hand from raising more’.
“And I asked, increase what? The president stated, “Since I said the subsidy was gone, we should have gotten the appropriate price.” We should’ve increased. I would like to sponsor you, laborers, to travel to these West African countries and learn how much they are paid.
“Some are paying N2,000, N1,800, and N1,700.” As soon as he revealed it, we declined the sponsorship.
“He said, OK, I’ll go to my office for an hour. You decide; if you agree to increase the price of petroleum items, I will give you the N250,000 minimum wage; otherwise, you will take this N62,000.
“But we said, Mr. President, no, we can’t sit down here to make a decision in your office; we’ll go back and consider it and get back to you, which is precisely what happened, and we adjourned for one week.
“When we reconvened, we made it clear to Mr. President that we had no mandate to come there to discuss the price of petroleum goods or any increases; we were just there to discuss the minimum wage, and that was all we were going to discuss. And based on that, we accepted 70,000 Naira.”
