- TUC President Festus Osifo criticized President Tinubu’s administration for its indifference and unserious approach to the minimum wage issue
- Osifo highlighted that the government only engaged with the TUC after issuing an ultimatum, showing a lack of prioritization
Festus Osifo, President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration for its indifference to Nigerians’ struggles. Osifo made these remarks during an interview on Channels TV’s “Politics Today.”
He revealed that organized labour had rejected the federal government’s offer of an N60,000 minimum wage, labelling the government as unserious about addressing the issue.
Osifo stated, “From what is happening, one can conclude they are being nonchalant. The president has promised to give a living wage, and today we are discussing a minimum wage of N60,000. I think we are far away from it. If you say the government is calm, we quite agree.”
He further explained that during the last meeting, it became clear that the government was not serious about the negotiations. “They are not yet serious with these conversations,” he added.
Osifo also recounted how the government failed to engage with the TUC until an injunction was issued on May 1. “If you remember, May 1, we issued an ultimatum that if there is no minimum wage in place, we could no longer guarantee industrial peace. Do you know that before May 1, they did not even invite us for a meeting until that injunction was issued?”
He emphasized that a serious government would have prioritized the minimum wage issue to alleviate the people’s difficulties. He pointed out that while industries have goods, the purchasing power of the people is weak. “Government must be serious in bringing about a new minimum wage,” he concluded.