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Labour Rejects N54,000 New Minimum Wage Proposed By The FG
There were mixed reactions again on Tuesday after the Organised Labour rejected the Federal government’s proposal of N54,000 for the new minimum wage.
Nation Post reports that the proposal was an increase from the previous offer of N48,000. A leader from Organised Labour confirmed the union’s action to journalists on Tuesday via a telephone conversation with Vanguard.
It could be recalled that the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, which make up Organised Labour, had walked out of the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage due to the initial N48,000 proposal.
Last week, Organised Labour firmly stated that the government should not consider N100,000 as the new minimum wage.
They emphasized the importance of serious negotiations on workers’ wages, pointing out that the calculation for the new minimum wage should be based on the lowest minimum of N615,000.
During an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, NLC president Joe Ajaero stated that the N54,000 proposed minimum wage by the Federal Government is not substantial enough to keep a family moving.
He said, “You can see that (₦54k) is still not substantial compared to what you need to keep a family moving.
“Organised Labour refused the new proposal, as it is a far cry from the ₦615,000 proposed by both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).”
During the reconvened meeting this week, the Federal Government proposed paying N54,000 instead of the initial N48,000 proposed in the previous session. However, Organised Labour, which includes the NLC and the TUC, rejected this new proposal as it falls significantly short of the N615,000 that both unions had suggested.
According to a report, the meeting took place on Tuesday behind closed doors at the Nicon luxury hotel in Abuja. To continue negotiations, it has been adjourned to Wednesday, May 22.
The Organised Labour, represented by the NLC and the TUC, had given the Federal Government until the end of May to conclude negotiations for a new minimum wage. Additionally, the unions instructed their members in states that have not implemented the N30,000 minimum wage to prepare for industrial action.
It is worth noting that the Federal Government had failed to present a minimum wage that is widely accepted by Nigerians before the Labour Day on May 1.
