Minimum wage negotiations continue today after Labour rejects FG’s N54,000 offer

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Negotiations on a new minimum wage will continue today, following the Federal Government’s increase of its offer from N48,000 to N54,000, although Labour remains firm on its N615,000 proposal and has refused to lower its demand.

During the initial meeting of the Tripartite Committee, the private sector proposed a wage of N56,000, while governors’ representatives pledged to consult and potentially present their offer today.

However, a Labour representative stated that the Federal Government’s latest offer is still unacceptable. Labour also criticized the governors for their absence from the Tripartite meetings.

Sources indicate that the Goni Aji-led Tripartite Committee has adjourned the meeting until today to give the governors time to present an offer.

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A Labour source remarked, ““The consensus within the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress is a wage that can adequately take care of a family for a month.”

“This new offer (N54,000) fell below what we expected. We want a minimum wage that will be able to take care of a family. 

“It is also sad that governors have not been attending the meetings, despite having six representatives (one from each geo-political zones) in the 37-member committee). Only one of them sent a representative to yesterday’s meeting, who said he was not given any mandate to speak at the meeting. That is why the meeting was adjourned till tomorrow (today). This is a serious matter between labour, organised private sector, and the government.

“The Federal Government said they are presenting N54,000. We said no.

“We are hoping that by tomorrow (today), the meeting will find a way of bringing the governors to the round table so that we can be talking even if we disagree.

“It is not only today (yesterday) that the governors have been absent from the minimum wage meetings. Since they attended the first time, they have not attended again except for Prof. Charles Soludo of Anambra State who joins sometimes through zoom.

‘’Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago has been sending representatives.” 

Another source, however,   said the tripartite committee hopes that the governors would today join the meeting. 

“By tomorrow(today) at 4 pm when the meeting will sit again to continue the negotiations, we will hear the governors input and then reveal our position,’’ he said, adding that they have already discussed with the Organised Private Sector (OPS).

He said: “We have met with the OPS and discussed. We did this because we are poised to do everything possible to ensure that negotiation is concluded and Nigerian workers have a new minimum wage by May 31.

“We are very serious about taking actions in the interest of protecting and promoting the welfare of Nigerian workers.   We will do our best to ensure smooth negotiation.”

The tripartite committee was on  January 30, inaugurated to come up with a new minimum wage.

The N30,000 wage in operation since 2019, expired on April 18.

The Federal Government on May 1 pledged to allow the commencement of the new minimum wage with effect from April 1.