By Kingston Magare
Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress said it is insulting that the Federal government could propose to pay Nigerian workers a minimum wage of N48,000.
Consequently, both labour unions walked out of the negotiations between them, the Federal government and the Organised Private Sector Wednesday in Abuja. The labour union leaders maintained that the Federal government is unserious about alleviating the plight of workers against the background of rising cost of living.
In a joint statement signed by NLC president Joe Ajaero and TUC deputy president Tommy Okon, the workers union said they cannot accept a retrogressive wage.
“The Government’s proposal of a paltry N48,000 (forty-eight thousand Naira} as the Minimum Wage does not only insult the sensibilities of Nigerian workers but also falls significantly short of meeting our needs and aspirations,” the statement said.
“In contrast the Organised Private Sector (OPS) proposed an initial offer of N54 ,000 (fifty-four thousand Naira) though it is worth noting that even the least paid workers in the private sector receives N78,000 (seventy-eight thousand Naira per month) as clearly stated by the OPS, highlighting the stark disparity between the proposed and prevailing standards further demonstrating the minimum wage unwillingness of Employers and Government to faithfully negotiate a fair National Minimum Wage for Workers in Nigeria.
“Furthermore, the Government’s failure to provide any substantiated data to support their offer exacerbates the situation. This lack of transparency and good faith undermines the credibility of the negotiation process and erodes trust between the parties involved.
“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 (thirty thousand Naira) as mandated by law, augmented by Buhari’s 40% Peculiar allowance (N12,000) and the N35,000 (thirty-five thousand Naira) wage award, totaling N77,000 (seventyseven thousand Naira) 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.
The NLC and TUC had proposed that the Federal government should pay Nigerian workers N615,000 minimum wage, citing high cost of living as the yardstick for the proposal.
