LIVE UPDATES
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, expressed his concern on Sunday that the demand for a national minimum wage of N494,000 by organised labour could potentially lead to job losses in many private companies if implemented.
Akpabio raised this concern during an emergency meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, jointly organised by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The meeting took place just before the commencement of an indefinite strike called by the two Labour unions to protest the disagreement between them and the Federal Government over the proposed minimum wage.
Akpabio urged the labour leaders to consider the potential negative impact on employment if the federal government were to agree to the N494,000 minimum wage as demanded.
He emphasized that many private firms in the country might struggle to afford the proposed minimum wage, leading to possible layoffs.
Akpabio assured that any agreement reached between the government and the labour leaders would be in the best interest of Nigerians.
