Negotiations between the Federal Government and organized Labour on a new national minimum wage will resume on Friday, May 31st, following a breakdown of previous talks.
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero, confirmed this to reporters, stating that the chairman of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage has invited Labour to the negotiation table.
Ajaero stated that organized Labour will attend the meeting, but warned that it will not be a “monologue.” He said that if the government presents a better offer, Labour will accept it, but they will not simply engage in talks for the sake of it.
The breakdown in negotiations occurred on Tuesday, when the government and organized private sector (OPS) raised their offer to N60,000, up from the initial N57,000. However, Labour dismissed this proposal as “insulting” and walked away from the meeting.
At the previous meeting, Labour had lowered its demand from N497,000 to N494,000. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) had given the committee until the end of May to conclude the negotiations, with a warning of industrial action if a new minimum wage was not agreed upon.
President Bola Tinubu had promised workers a living wage on May Day, and the 37-member tripartite committee, chaired by the former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Goni Aji, was tasked with recommending a new national minimum wage.
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, had urged the committee to “speedily” arrive at a resolution and submit their report to ensure the timely emergence of a new minimum wage.