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The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Monday urged all parties involved in the minimum wage talks to consider the issue of sustainability in their deliberations.
The LCCI stated this as the one-week suspension of the nationwide strike by organised labour expires on Tuesday (today).
It added that the leadership of the trade unions had appealed to President Bola Tinubu to use his position to give the Nigerian workers a deserved living wage.
The LCCI urged that the parties should consider an amount that would reflect a good balance of economic realities, affordability, and sustainability.
Equally, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has called on the federal government to gradually stop the payment of electricity subsidies, saying it is “ineffective.”
The organised labour is expected to convene its organ meeting tomorrow on the matter.
Speaking to newsmen on arrival in Geneva for the annual conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said that having submitted its demand to the President through National Minimum Wage Tripartite Committee, the expectation of the workers was for him to consult widely and pronounce a minimum wage that would fill the wide gap income created by economic downturn.
Ajaero said: “Of course we should understand that the bill that will be sent to the National Assembly is an Executive Bill that was why the report of the Tripartite Committee was sent to the President.
“Once the bill is sent to the President, ordinarily the President has to do some consultations. In the last minimum wage report that was sent to President Muhammadu Buhari, I think it was N27,000 and after consideration he moved it to N30,000.
“So it expected that the president as the chief executive will make some adjustments as he has seen clearly that it is not just a margin, but a gulf between N62,000 and N250,000. That is why a lot is expected from him.”
