Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday said that the 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.
A statement issued by his spokesperson, Laolu Akande, said Osinbajo gave the assurance during a meeting with the new leadership of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.
Akande said the Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, was also at the meeting.
Speaking on the engagement of labour leaders with the Federal Government, the VP said their coming indicated their willingness to work with government.
He said, “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.”
The Vice President said that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari refused to ignore the situation, but instead provided different facilities, including Paris Club refunds and budget support loans to provide immediate succor to states.
Speaking on the contentious issue of salary increase being demanded, the VP observed that labour “must find ways to work with a government that is honest and wants to work to resolve the issue transparently.”
Osinbajo said, “Let us give ourselves room to negotiate properly. The President wants an honest, open process; we will be transparent and honest about it.
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