The Organised Labour in Nigeria has announced that they are set to reduce their minimum wage demand from the previously proposed N494,000 down to N100,000.
This decision comes after the proposal for a N494,000 minimum wage faced widespread criticism and was deemed outrageous and unrealistic by many, including the Federal Government.
The Federal Government had previously stated that the N494,000 proposal would result in an annual expenditure of N9.5 trillion, a burden that was described as untenable for the nation’s finances.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior official of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) confirmed that the unions will now insist on a N100,000 minimum wage as their final offer to the tripartite committee.
“Today’s (Tuesday) meeting was essentially to set an agenda and plan how to complete the assignment within the five days,” the official stated. “The government representatives did not mention a raise in the N60,000 offer. But labour planned to close the negotiation on N100,000 minimum wage.”
The Deputy Head of the NLC Political Commission, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, also corroborated the details of the Tuesday tripartite meeting, stating that the agenda for the one-week daily meetings was the primary focus.
“We met today (Tuesday) to draw up an agenda for the one-week daily meeting. We met today and drew the agenda because the agreement was that we meet daily for the meet one week and on our own, we said we are relaxing the strike not even suspending it,” Ndubuaku explained.
The Organised Labour has vowed to reject any little addition to the current N60,000 offer by the tripartite committee, stating that they are prepared to go on strike if their demand for a N100,000 minimum wage is not met.
“It’s more like putting everybody on red alert. It means we are not going to give any notice. Which means by this time next week, we are going on strike,” Ndubuaku warned.
The decision to lower their minimum wage demand from N494,000 to N100,000 is seen as a strategic move by the Organised Labour to find a middle ground and reach a compromise with the Federal Government.
However, the unions have made it clear that they will not accept anything less than their proposed N100,000 minimum wage, setting the stage for a potentially tense negotiation process in the days ahead.
As the nation watches closely, all eyes will be on the tripartite committee as they work to find a resolution that satisfies both the government and the Organised Labour in the ongoing minimum wage dispute.