The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has stated that it never considered ₦100,000 as the minimum wage for workers, nor the ₦62,000 proposed by the government.
The NLC remains firm on its demand for ₦250,000, as stated in their most recent meeting with the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage last Friday, which they deem to be the living wage for the average Nigerian worker.
“Our position is very clear,” said Chris Onyeka, NLC Assistant General Secretary, during an appearance on Channels Television’s “The Morning Brief” show on Monday.
Onyeka emphasized that the labor union will not accept the government’s latest offer of ₦62,000 or the ₦100,000 suggested by some individuals and economists.
Onyeka said, “We have never considered accepting ₦62,000 or any other wage that we know is below what we know is able to take Nigerian workers home. We will not negotiate a starvation wage.
“We have never contemplated ₦100,000 let alone of ₦62,000. We are still at ₦250,000, 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 market place; realities of things we buy every day: bag of rice, yam, garri, and all of that.”
‘Tuesday Deadline Stands’
Onyeka stated that the one-week grace period given to the Federal Government on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, would expire at midnight on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
He warned that if the Federal Government and National Assembly fail to address the workers’ demands by tomorrow (Tuesday), the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) would convene to decide on resuming the nationwide industrial action that was paused last week.
The NLC Official said, “The Federal Government and the National Assembly have the call now. It is not our call. Our demand is there for them (the government) to look at and send an Executive Bill to the National Assembly, and for the National Assembly to look at what we have demanded, the various fact of the law, and then come up with a National Minimum Act that meets our demands.
“If that does not meet our demand, we have given the Federal Government a one-week notice to look at the issues and that one week expires tomorrow (Tuesday). If after tomorrow, we have not seen any tangible response from the government, the organs of the Organised Labour will meet to decide on what next.”
When asked what the decision of Labour would be should the government insists on ₦62,000, he said, “It was clear what we said. We said we are relaxing a nationwide indefinite strike. It’s like putting a pause on it. So, if you put a pause on something and that organs that govern us as trade unions decide that we should remove that pause, it means that we go back to what was in existence before.”