The Nigeria Labour Congress, or NLC, has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed ₦54,000 minimum wage as the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage returned to the negotiation table last week.
The Committee proposed a modest increase, suggesting that the initial ₦48,000 should be raised to ₦54,000. However, this fell significantly short of the ₦615,000 that the NLC had initially requested, leading to their outright rejection of the proposal.
During the closed-door meeting held at Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja on Tuesday, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) gave the federal government a deadline until the end of May to consider negotiations for a new minimum wage.
The industrial unions also directed member states owing the ₦30,000 minimum wage to prepare for industrial action.
Meanwhile, considering the economic downturn caused by inflation, the NLC Chairman, Joe Ajaero, insisted that ₦615,000 is a price applicable to tackle such a situation.
Ajaero noted that the amount was arrived at after analysing the economic situation, worsened by inflation and the need for an average family of six to survive.
Nonetheless, the issue of the minimum wage has been a consistent punchline making headlines in Nigeria, unlike the salaries of judicial and public officials, which pass through President and Senate approval without hassle.
Despite the ₦54,000 proposed, Ajaero and other labour leaders in the industrial communities have given the Federal Government a May 31 ultimatum to meet their demands.
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