NLC adamant on N250,000 minimum wage demand

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have threatened to resumed its strike action if the federal government failed to meet their proposed N250,000 minimum wage proposal by Tuesday, June 11.

NLC’s Assistant General Secretary who conveyed the union stance during an interview on Channels Television on Monday, criticized the N62,000 proposal as a “starvation wage,” and dismissed the N100,000 suggestion from some individuals and economists as equally unacceptable.

He reiterated the organised labour steadfast commitment in its demand for a more substantial and realistic minimum wage to address the current economic challenges faced by Nigerian workers.

“We have never contemplated N100,000 let alone N62,000. We are still at N250,000, that is where we are, and that is what we considered enough concession to the government and the other social partners in this particular situation. We are not just driven by frivolities but the realities of the marketplace; realities of things we buy every day: a bag of rice, yam, garri, and all of that,” Onyeka stated.

The NLC official further disclosed that should the federal government and the National Assembly fail to act on the demand of the workers by Tuesday, June 11, 2024, the organs of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) would meet to decide on the resumption of the nationwide industrial action relaxed last Tuesday.

Following unsuccessful discussions over a new minimum wage, Labour initiated an indefinite strike on Monday, June 3, 2024, leading to widespread disruption as airports, hospitals, the national grid, banks, and government establishments were shut down.

Labour argued that the current N30,000 minimum wage is inadequate due to rising inflation and the impacts of recent policy changes, such as the removal of petrol subsidies and the unification of forex windows.

They also pointed out that many governors have not been paying the current wage, which expired in April 2024.

President Bola Tinubu set up a tripartite committee in January 2024 to negotiate a new minimum wage. The labour unions’ initial demand was N615,000, later reduced to N494,000. The government and private sector’s proposals, peaking at N60,000, were rejected, leading to the strike.

On June 3, 2024, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, announced the President’s commitment to a wage above ₦60,000, prompting Labour to suspend the strike on June 4, 2024, and resume negotiations.

The President tasked Finance Minister Wale Edun with creating a new wage template. Despite intense discussions, no consensus was reached by June 7, 2024.

Labour reduced their demand to ₦250,000, while the federal government offered N62,000. Both parties have now submitted their proposals to the President, who will decide and forward an executive bill to the National Assembly for legislative approval.