Labour to Attend Minimum Wage Negotiation Talks on Tuesday May 21st 2024.
Organised Labour has confirmed their participation in the Tripartite Committee’s meeting on the Minimum Wage, scheduled for Tuesday.
In an interview on Monday in Abuja, Mr. Etim Okon, Vice President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), verified this development.
Recently, both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the TUC exited a previous negotiation meeting after the Federal Government proposed a new minimum wage of N48,000. The unions criticized the proposal, stating it was insufficient to meet the basic needs of workers.
“The proposal falls significantly short of meeting our needs and aspirations,” the unions stated.
Labour also accused the government of failing to provide concrete data to justify their offer. This lack of transparency, they argued, undermines the negotiation process.
“The federal government has since apologized, and we are prepared to present our demands at the next meeting on Tuesday,” Mr. Okon stated.
He emphasized that Labour will continue to advocate for a minimum wage of N615,000, as initially proposed before their walkout. “Our submission was not rejected; we merely rejected the government’s offer due to their lack of explanation on how they arrived at the N48,000 figure,” he explained.
Okon highlighted the need for a clear breakdown of the proposed wage, taking into account essential living costs such as transportation, housing, food, utilities, healthcare, and education.
Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, Director-General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), expressed optimism about the upcoming meeting. He noted that the government’s intervention has brought Labour back to the negotiation table.
“Each figure presented – Labour’s N615,000, the government’s N48,000, and the private sector’s N54,000 – reflects different realities. The focus now is to align these positions and reach a consensus on the National Minimum Wage, which the committee will recommend to the President,” Oyerinde said.
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