Worker’s Salary Increase: Buhari Is Ready For Honest, Transparent Negotiations ― Osinbajo

* Remain focused, posterity will judge you fairly – TUC
leaders tell Osinbajo

THE Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has said that
the President Muhammadu Buhari administration will honestly and
transparently resolve the request by labour for a salary increase
for other levels of workers not affected in the implementation of
the new national minimum wage.

Osinbajo spoke on Thursday at a meeting with the new leadership
of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), who paid him a courtesy visit at
the Presidential Villa.

The team was led by the new President of the union, Comrade
Quadri Olaleye. Labour and Employment Minister, Dr Chris Ngige was
also at the meeting.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media &
Publicity Office of the Vice President, Mr Laolu Akande, said
Osinbajo Commended the labour leaders’ engagement with the Federal
Government, saying, “your coming today indicates your willingness
to work with the government.

“You should consider the President as someone committed to the
welfare of workers. One of the first things he did when we came in
was to give States a series of bailouts to help repay backlog of
salaries in several States.”

The Vice President noted that the Buhari administration refused
to ignore the situation, and instead provided different facilities
including Paris club refunds and budget support loans to provide
immediate succor to States.

On the contentious issue of salaries increase being demanded,
Osinbajo observed that labour “must find ways to work with a
government that is honest and wants to work to resolve the issue
transparently.

“Let us give ourselves room to negotiate properly. The President
wants an honest, open process, we will be transparent and honest
about it. Labour leaders should give us the benefit of the doubt,”
he said.

Besides, Prof Osinbajo assured the leaders that the federal
ministers all have a mandate to ensure job creation opportunities
while the government also works on creating an enabling environment
for the private sector to create jobs.

In his own contribution at the meeting, Dr Ngige disclosed that
the new national minimum wage was already being paid by the Federal
Government, noting that arrears would also be settled.

He said the salary increase that labour is now asking for is a
“Consequential Adjustment,” arising from the implementation of the
new minimum wage.

While the new minimum wage covered salary grade levels 6 and
below, the adjustment being demanded now is for the salary increase
of the other grade levels from 7 above.

Earlier in his remarks, the TUC President called on the Federal
Government to effect the salary increase while also urging the
government to continue to deal with security matters in the
country.

The TUC delegation, speaking through the Union President,
Olaleye also advised the Vice President “to remain focus on your
constitutional duties,” telling him, “you have achieved more
especially with the quarterly business forums you hold and you
should not relent. Posterity will judge you fairly.”