The Organised Labour has once again rejected a new minimum wage proposal from the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) turned down the government’s offer of ₦60,000 as the new minimum wage for workers.
This proposal follows previous rejections of ₦48,000, ₦54,000, and ₦57,000 by the labour unions.
A member of the Tripartite Committee, responsible for negotiating a new minimum wage, informed Channels Television that the latest government offer of ₦60,000 was still not acceptable.
The Organised Labour had initially demanded ₦615,000 but had reduced their demand to ₦497,000 last week and further to ₦494,000 during today’s meeting.
Despite these concessions, the meeting ended in a deadlock without reaching an agreement on the new minimum wage.
The deadlock comes just days before the May 31 deadline set by the labour unions for concluding the negotiations.
The unions argue that the current minimum wage of ₦30,000 is insufficient to support the average Nigerian worker and noted that many state governors are not even paying this amount, which expired in April 2024.
The Minimum Wage Act of 2019 mandates a review every five years to align with contemporary economic demands.
NLC President Joe Ajaero criticised the government’s proposals as “unsubstantial” and inadequate for addressing the economic needs of workers.
He highlighted the severe economic disparities between the working class and the wealthier segments of society, calling for harmonisation to find a fair meeting point.
“The economy of the workers is totally destroyed. In fact, the workers don’t have any economy. I think there are two economies in the country; the economy of the bourgeoisie and the economy of the workers. I think we have to harmonise this so that we can have a meeting point,” Ajaero said.
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