The Organised Labour, represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), has agreed to attend the negotiation meeting of the Tripartite Committee on the Minimum Wage scheduled for Tuesday. This decision comes after the unions previously walked out of the negotiations in protest of the Federal Government’s proposed new minimum wage of N48,000.
Mr. Etim Okon, Vice President of the TUC, confirmed their participation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja. The walkout occurred because the proposed wage fell significantly short of the unions’ demands and expectations, which they argued did not meet the basic needs and aspirations of workers.
“The proposal falls significantly short of meeting our needs and aspirations,” the unions stated, criticizing the government for failing to provide substantiated data to support their offer. They also accused the government of a lack of transparency and good faith, which they said undermined the credibility of the negotiation process.
Okon mentioned that the Federal Government had since apologized for the previous disruption, and the unions are prepared to present their demands at the upcoming meeting. “We will still be presenting the N615,000 minimum wage. It is what we presented before we walked out, though our submission was not rejected by the government. We only rejected the N48,000 that the government presented because they did not show us how they arrived at that amount,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of considering essential costs such as transportation, housing, food, utilities, health, and education when determining a fair minimum wage. “The government should come out clearly with what they are offering, with the indices and variables, and also how they arrived at that. This is all what we are saying,” Okon added.
Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, Director-General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), expressed optimism about the upcoming meeting. He noted that the federal government had managed to address the issues that led to the previous walkout, and he hoped for a successful negotiation session.
“I am happy the government had prevailed on the issue and they would be coming back to the table for the actual negotiations,” Oyerinde said. He acknowledged the validity of different proposals, including Labour’s N615,000, the government’s N48,000, and the private sector’s N54,000, highlighting the need for a balanced discussion to reach a consensus.
Oyerinde expressed confidence that through the negotiation process, a consensus would be reached on the National Minimum Wage, and the committee would then make a recommendation to President Bola Tinubu. “There will be a lot of give and take, and we aim to align positions and reach a consensus on the National Minimum Wage,” he said.
The outcome of the upcoming meeting will be crucial in determining the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers, aiming to balance the economic realities faced by both the government and the labour force.
