By Funso Alarape
Wednesday May 22, 2024
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The tripartite minimum wage negotiation meeting involving Organised Labour, the federal and state governments, and the Organised Private Sector (OPS) yesterday became a deadlock after organized labor rejected the new N54,000 minimum wage proposal by the Federal Government
According to reliable information, the meeting was adjourned till 4 pm today.
Following labor’s rejection of N48,000 earlier proposed by the Federal Government, the government had to jack up its offer to N54,000.
Tuesday’s meeting came as a result of the walkout staged by members of organized labor following the proposal of N48,000 as minimum wage by the Federal Government during last week’s meeting.
During that meeting, the OPS had also proposed N54,000 while labor insisted on its N615,000 living wage demand.
According to an inside source at the meeting, the labor lamented the government’s side was not showing any sign of seriousness, even as state governors did not show up at the meeting.
Those who represented them, like Bauchi and Niger states, did not have the mandates to speak on their behalf.
The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, insisted on N615,000 minimum wage, arguing that the amount was arrived at after an analysis of the current economic situation and the needs of an average Nigerian family of six.
He blamed the government and the OPS for the breakdown in negotiation, saying, “Despite earnest efforts to reach an equitable agreement, the less than reasonable action of the Government and the Organised Private Sector has led to a breakdown in negotiations.”
In a statement released at the end of the jointly held NEC meeting by the NLC and TUC which was signed by Joe Ajaero, NLC president, and Festus Osifo, TUC president, the unions said they acknowledge the ongoing negotiations between the NLC/TUC, the Organised Private Sector, and the Federal Government regarding the new national minimum wage.
While appreciating what they described as the efforts made thus far, the NLC and TUC emphasized the urgency of reaching a fair and equitable agreement that reflects the true value of Nigerian workers’ contributions to the nation’s development and the current crisis of survival facing Nigerians as a result of government’s policies.
They also affirmed their commitment to ensuring that the interests and welfare of workers are adequately protected in the negotiation processes.
Recall that the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and their Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterparts have put the civil society allies on notice over their planned industrial action should the government fail to reverse the hike in electricity tariff and conclude the minimum wage by May 31.
In a joint communique issued on Monday, leaders of the two labor centers, gave the federal government and National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, month ending to reverse the hike.
This came as they reiterated their May 31 ultimatum for the government to conclude the new minimum wage or face a national strike.
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