For months now, the Federal Government and Nigerian workers under the umbrella of the Organised Laboour have been at loggerheads over the implementation of the new minimum wage.
As we speak, the government and the union are yet to come to an agreement over the amount that should be paid.
Now, the Organised Labour has once again rejected the proposed amount by the government.
According to the union, it rejected the Federal Government’s new minimum wage proposal of ₦60,000 because it does not tally with the nation’s economic realities.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) President, Festus Osifo, said this on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
We Will Go On Strike
Osifo condemned the federal government’s nonchalant attitude over deliberations about a new minimum wage, saying that organised labour will go on strike if the issue are not resolved immediately.
He said with Nigeria’s inflation rate of 33.69% as of April 2024 based on data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), labour had to “completely reject” the Federal Government’s latest offer of ₦60,000.
Osifo said: “The government must be very serious in addressing the issue of a new minimum wage.
“So, for us, we completely reject it. We want the government to be serious. Let them come and give us a breakdown of how a family is going to live with the minimum wage of ₦60,000.
Deep Thinking
“Remember, our ultimatum still subsists that we have issued on May 1, and today is the 28th day of May.
So, what that clearly means is that we still have three days to resolve this matter.”
Speaking on the reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu, Osifo accused the government of policy somersaults and not having “deep thinking”.
“So, for us, we would rate them 2.5 out of 10 which is 25%,” he said.
The New Minimum Wage
For months, labour unions and the Federal Government have been locked in negotiations over a new minimum wage with the former giving an ultimatum of May 31st.
Labour had initially demanded a ₦615,000 minimum wage but reduced it twice and now at ₦494,000.
Also Read: Minimum Wage: Edo NLC Confirms ₦70,000 Payment
The government and the organised private sector had initially proposed ₦48,000 and ₦54,000 which were also rejected by the labour.
During a meeting of the committee on minimum wage on Tuesday, labour rejected the Federal Government’s new minimum wage proposal.
