Minimum Wage: NLC, TUC disagree as federal government propose N48,000

Yesterday's negotiations between the federal government and organised labour came to a standstill when the unions turned down an offer to establish a new national minimum wage of N48,000. 

The Nigerian Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) abruptly left the tripartite committee meeting, presumably due to a breakdown in discussions. 

The government's proposal, which the labour centres view as an affront to the sensibilities of Nigerian workers and a major departure from their needs and goals, has left them deeply disappointed. 

Comrade Tommy Etim Okon, the deputy president of TUC, and Comrade Joe Ajaero, the president of the NLC, advocated on a minimum salary of N615,000 for workers during a briefing in Abuja to express their positions.

They cited data and existing economic realities to support their proposal for an N615,000 national minimum wage, arguing that it also matched President Bola Tinubu's promise to guarantee a livable salary for Nigerian workers. 

They cited data and existing economic realities to support their proposal for an N615,000 national minimum wage, arguing that it also matched President Bola Tinubu's promise to guarantee a livable salary for Nigerian workers. 

The unions claim that even though the Organised Private Sector (OPS) had first suggested a sum of N54,000, it is still less than the N78,000 minimum wage that the lowest paid employees in the private sector are entitled to.

The labour leaders claim that this disparity has brought attention to the government's and employers' unwillingness to bargain for a just national minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Source