The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, announced that the Organised Labour will wait for President Bola Tinubu’s decision on the minimum wage proposals submitted by the Tripartite Committee.
Ajaero ruled out any industrial action until the President made his stance known on the two proposals: Labour’s demand for ₦250,000 as a living wage and the federal and state governments, along with the Organised Private Sector’s proposal of ₦62,000. The Tripartite Committee submitted these proposals to the President on Monday through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.
After the reports were submitted, Ajaero stated that the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) would determine their next steps based on the President’s decision.
Speaking at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Ajaero said, “Two reports have been sent to the President, and we will wait for the next steps based on his handling of this matter. The NLC will not take any actions until the President decides. Once he does, the National Executive Council will have significant discussions. We will follow their direction.”
Ajaero criticized the Nigerian Governors’ Forum for claiming that the ₦62,000 minimum wage proposal was unsustainable. This latest stance contrasts with Labour’s earlier position to potentially resume industrial action if their demands were not met by June 11, 2024.
Chris Onyeka, Assistant General Secretary of the NLC revealed that the Federal Government and National Assembly must act on Labour’s demands. He indicated that if there was no tangible response by June 11, the Labour bodies would meet to decide on resuming the nationwide strike paused the previous week.
Onyeka emphasized that Labour never considered accepting ₦100,000 or ₦62,000 as the minimum wage. “We have never contemplated ₦100,000, let alone ₦62,000. Our demand remains at ₦250,000, which we believe is a reasonable concession. We are driven by the realities of daily expenses, not frivolities.”
After weeks of unsuccessful negotiations on a new minimum wage, Labour declared an indefinite strike on June 3rd, 2024, paralyzing businesses and services nationwide. The unions argued that the current ₦30,000 minimum wage is insufficient and urged the government to offer a more realistic figure, considering inflation and economic pressures, including the removal of petrol subsidies and forex unification.
Despite these challenges, not all governors have been paying the current wage, which expired in April 2024, five years after the Minimum Wage Act of 2019. The Act mandates a review every five years to align with economic demands.
In January 2024, President Bola Tinubu formed a tripartite committee to negotiate a new minimum wage. Labour initially demanded ₦615,000, later reducing it to ₦497,000, and then to ₦494,000. The government and the Organised Private Sector initially proposed ₦48,000, ₦54,000, ₦57,000, and later ₦60,000, all of which Labour rejected, leading to the strike.
Following the strike’s impact, SGF George Akume assured that the President was committed to a wage above ₦60,000 and called for a week of negotiations. Labour then paused the strike and resumed talks. Despite further discussions, both sides failed to reach an agreement, with Labour reducing its demand to ₦250,000 and the government offering ₦62,000.
The reports have been submitted to the President, who is expected to make a decision and send an executive bill to the National Assembly to enact a new minimum wage law.
