FG, Labour unions meets over ₦54,000 new minimum wage

Following the walkout by the Organised Labour comprising of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress during the last meeting with the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage following the proposed ₦48,000 as minimum wage by the Federal Government, our correspondent learned that the government has now upped it to ₦54,000.

A highly reliable source within the meeting, which is currently ongoing, disclosed this to our correspondent in Abuja.

“The Federal Government has now proposed the sum of ₦54,000,” the reliable source said.

Though it is not clear whether Labour would accept this offer, The PUNCH reports that the FG’s proposal is a far cry from the ₦615,000 proposed by the organized Labour.

The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, insisted on N615,000 minimum wage, arguing that the amount was arrived at after an analysis of the current economic situation and the needs of an average Nigerian family of six.

He blamed the government and the OPS for the breakdown in negotiation, saying, “Despite earnest efforts to reach an equitable agreement, the less than reasonable action of the Government and the Organised Private Sector has led to a breakdown in negotiations.”

But speaking on behalf of the OPS, the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, Mr Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, described unions’ walkout when negotiation had not started as unfortunate.

The NECA DG admonished the union leaders to reconsider their position and return to the negotiation table in the interest of their members and national development.

However, Ajaero justified their decision to abandon the negotiation, saying, “The government’s proposal of a paltry N48,000 as the minimum wage does not only insult the sensibilities of Nigerian workers but also falls significantly short of meeting our needs and aspirations.