•Labour insists on N250,000, says FG not serious
•We believe president’ll approve 250,000 – TUC
From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The atmosphere across the nation is charged as workers await President Bola Tinubu’s decision on a new national minimum wage.
This is as the Tripatite Committee on New Minimum wage, which is charged with reviewing Nigeria’s minimum wage is set to submit its final report to the President.
The report, which proposes a minimum wage of N62,000 has sparked resistance from the labour leaders, who are insisting on N250,000.
There are indications that the country could be on the brink of another bout of industrial unrest if the president decides to endorse the committee’s N62,000 recommendation, a proposal vehemently opposed by the labour force.
On Friday, the representatives of labour and the Tripatite committee, consisting of stakeholders from the Federal Government, state governments, and the private sector, wrapped up discussions on the new minimum wage.
While the committee put forward N62,000, labour leaders stood firm on their demand of N250,000.
Spokesperson for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Benson Upah, told Daily Sun via a phone chat that the congress views the Federal Government as unserious, and emphasised that no agreement has been reached yet.
Upah stressed the inadequacy of the proposed N62,000 minimum wage, stressing that it fell far below the threshold needed to ensure a decent standard of living for workers.
When asked if the NLC’s was ready to accept N62,000 as the new minimum wage, he adamantly replied: “No, not all. Far too low below the threshold. No deal. Govt is not serious yet.”
Similarly, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), expressed firm support for the proposed N250,000 minimum wage, citing its necessity to meet the challenges of the present socio-economic climate.
The TUC’s first deputy president, Mr Tommy Okon, reiterated the labour centre’s unwavering stance on the N250,000 minimum wage, highlighting its alignment with President Tinubu’s commitment to providing a living wage for the workers following the removal of fuel subsidy.
Okon emphasised that the proposed amount was justifiable considering various socio-economic factors, such as housing, transportation, healthcare, education, and tariffs, as outlined in the cost of living index.
He expressed confidence in President Tinubu’s sensitivity to the plight of the workers, and urged him to consider their proposal in line with the current realities.
The labour leader said: “You are aware that our position is very clear on the minimum of N250,000. If we had done otherwise, you would have seen. So, we have taken our position to Mr. President, through the committee.
“So, let Mr. President decide. That is our position. We stand by 250,000 national minimum wage.
“Like I said, it is now at Mr. President’s prerogative, because what we have done is to help the government and also to help the President work this stuff. Remember, when Mr. President said fuel subsidy was gone, he said he was going to pay workers a living wage. So, we have been able to put out a variable facts that can technically prove that N250,000 could be manageable as a living wage. This is because when you look at the value of N62,000, and the present socioeconomic challenges, it cannot amount to what Mr. President referred to in his inaugural speech as a living wage.
“So, we are helping the government to work, because what the government has offered so far cannot be justifiable going by the present cost of living. The reason is that there is no variable fact to speak on it. Is it for housing? Is it for transportation? Is it for medical? Is it for education? Is it for tariff? These are indices that we have come to look at through the cost of living index that N250,000 is justifiable.
“So, that is what we are doing. And we believe that Mr. President is very sensitive, and that he would look at it as a democrat and see that, yes, what the workers have put forward is also considerable in line with the present reality. So, that is our position and we believe that Mr. President, who came on to announce the removal of fuel subsidy without consulting us, will also find a way to see that he appeases us, because when that was done, we never went on strike. So, in this case, Mr. President will also consider that they need to give us a wage of N250,000.”
On May 3, labour embarked on an indefinite nationwide strike, protesting the government and organised private sector’s refusal to raise the new minimum wage above N60,000, and failure to reverse the recent electricity tariff increase.
However, the strike was called off the next day after President Tinubu promised to consider a wage increase exceeding N60,000. The government subsequently added N2000.
Despite this, state governors cautioned that the proposed N60,000 minimum wage was not feasible for implementation. The NLC, however, strongly criticised this stance, calling it an act of bad faith that could potentially lead the country into economic turmoil.