The meeting held between the federal government and leaders of the Nigerian workers on Wednesday in order to discuss the national minimum wage for workers ended abruptly as leaders of organised labour staged a walk-out.
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, and the deputy president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Tommy Okon represented the workers at the meeting.
Ajaero, whilst speaking on behalf of the labour at a press conference, condemned the federal government’s proposed N48,000 wage.
He stated that the government was not in any way serious about negotiating with the labour.
The NLC president said government has until the end of the month to arrive at a decision.
“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,” he said.
The NLC and TUC had proposed N615,500 as the minimum wage the federal government should pay Nigerian workers, emphasizing on the high cost of living in the country.
Speaking further, Ajaero said that the government’s failure to provide data to support the N48,000 it offered aggravates the situation.
He also mentioned that the lack of transparency and good faith undermined the integrity of the negotiation process and corroded trust between the parties involved.
“The organised private sector proposed an initial offer of N54,000, though it is worth noting that even the least paid workers in the private sector receive N78,000, as clearly stated by the OPS, highlighting the stark disparity between the proposed and prevailing standards,” the NLC president said.
“This further demonstrates the unwillingness of employers and government to faithfully negotiate a fair national minimum wage for Workers in Nigeria.
“As representatives of Nigerian workers, we cannot in good conscience accept a wage proposal that would result in a reduction in income for federal-level workers who are already receiving N30,000 as mandated by law, augmented by Buhari’s 40% peculiar allowance and the N35,000 wage award, totalling N77,000 only.
“Such a regressive step would undermine the economic well-being of workers and their families and is unacceptable in a National minimum wage fixing process.”