Organised Labour has once again rejected the latest offer of a N54,000 minimum wage made by the Federal Government during the resumed national minimum wage negotiations on Tuesday.
The deadlock led to the postponement of the meeting to Wednesday, as labour leaders and government representatives failed to reach an agreement.
This marks the third instance where officials from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) could not find common ground with government representatives on the national minimum wage.
Last week, labour leaders walked out of a meeting hosted by the tripartite committee on minimum wage negotiation after the Federal Government proposed N48,000.
Simultaneously, the Organised Private Sector (OPS) made an initial offer of N54,000 in response to labour’s proposed N615,000.
Joe Ajaero, the National President of the NLC, insisted on a N615,000 minimum wage, arguing that this figure was determined after analysing the current economic situation and the needs of an average Nigerian family of six. He accused the government of failing to provide substantiated data to support its offer, undermining the credibility of the negotiation.
To bring labour back to the negotiation table, the Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, Alhaji Bukar Goni, informed the group that the government had agreed to raise the previously proposed N48,000.
However, at the Tuesday meeting, the government proposed N54,000, but labour maintained its demand for a N615,000 living wage.
Labour officials, privy to the negotiation, confirmed that the Federal Government increased its offer from N48,000 to N54,000. They declined to be quoted because they were not authorized to disclose negotiation details to the media.
One official said, “Well, during the meeting, the government increased its offer from N48,000 to N54,000. However, labour rejected that offer and the meeting has been adjourned to Wednesday (today).”
Another source added, “They didn’t show any seriousness at all. As regards the private sector, we did not get to them before the meeting was adjourned, but we hope they would also increase their initial offer.”
A top labour leader, speaking anonymously, noted that the government was ashamed of its offer because it knew it was not realistic and would not be accepted.
“They knew it was embarrassing to offer workers that kind of paltry sum. Negotiation has not started; negotiation can only start when the government shows seriousness in negotiating,” he stated, warning state governors and the OPS. He added that organised labour could not negotiate wage reduction because private sector workers were receiving N77,000.
Efforts to reach Ajaero and Usifo for comments on the stalled meeting were unsuccessful, as calls to their phones went unanswered and they did not respond to messages seeking their comments on the development.
