FG says negotiation is for minimum wage not living wage, offers N57,000

Despite the ultimatum handed down by the organised labour to the Federal Government on the May 31, 2024 deadline to implement a new minimum wage, both parties to the negotiation at the resumed Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage meeting yesterday shifted grounds but were still far apart from reaching a middle ground.
   
While the government (State and Federal) and the Organised Private Sector (OPS) offered a 90 per cent increase in the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N57,000, labour reduced its demand from N615,000 to N497,000. The meeting was still ongoing last night.
   
The Federal Government, led by the chairman of the committee, Bukar Aji, and the OPS insisted that the negotiation is for a new national minimum wage and not a living wage, as demanded by labour.
   
Though the meeting was still ongoing at the time of filing this report, a source, who is also a member of the committee but doesn’t want his name in print, said labour, comprising the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), shifted ground as requested by the Federal Government, but it was still a far cry from government’s expectations. 
   
According to the source, labour insisted that any figure below N77,000 would not be acceptable, as they could not settle for a wage proposal that would result in a reduction in income for federal-level workers who are already receiving N77,000 as salaries.  
   
“We expect them to start from N77,000 above, if not we will come back. We did not expect them to offer us N77,000, even if it is N78,000, we will know they increased by N1,000. That is when a proper negotiation will start.”
   
But the source said though the committee is looking forward to a speedy conclusion of negotiation, the government team was adamant about N54,000, complaining of the non-availability of funds and the inability of the private sector to pay.
   
But the private sector made an additional N3,000 taking up its offer to N57,000 from the initial N54,000, to which the government now acceded to as fulfilling its bargain of shifting grounds.
   
The source continued: “Government has agreed that NLC is using evidence-based presentation. But they argue that eight states are not paying or not fully implementing even the 2019 minimum wage of N30,000.”
   
In response to the shift in government position, labour also complied and came down to N497,000. The meeting had in attendance the Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma.
   
“The Imo State governor has stepped in. He is not a member of the committee, but it is good that there is at least a governor, as the six governors in the committee have been regularly absent.”
   
The new position was confirmed by the Deputy President of the NLC Political Commission, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku. Ndubuaku told newsmen that the labour team was compelled to reduce its demand to ensure the Federal Government meets up with the arrangement.
   
Unfortunately, he expressed concern that despite their shifting ground, the FG is stalling the negotiation process. He said: “Yes, it is true we have reduced it to N497,000. But we are still not making progress at the moment.”
   
Ndubuaku added that the government was not showing any sign of empathy despite knowing that the masses were struggling to adjust to the hardship and inflation brought about by its policies.
   
When asked about the next course of action if Wednesday’s meeting ends in another deadlock, the labour leader stated that they may return to tell anxious Nigerian workers to stay back at home until the government comes up with an acceptable offer.

MEANWHILE, the Anambra State government and organised labour in the state, have in the interim, resolved the knotty issue of the state’s minimum wage for its workforce.
   
The marathon meeting with labour was led by Governor Chukwuma Soludo on the side of government, and the NLC chairman in the state, Humphrey Nwafor, on the side of labour.  Briefing reporters at the end of the meeting, Nwafor said seven points raised were discussed and thrashed, adding that a tripartite committee would be set up to smoothen the grey areas.
   
Nwafor said: “It was a very successful meeting. All the executive members of NLC and TUC participated in the meeting. Among the highlights was the suspension of the contributory pensions, including those in the local government areas. He has also set up a committee to investigate why monies deducted from workers were not remitted and the committee will report back to the government in eight weeks.
   
“Before now, we thought the minimum wage was based on the basic salary, but with the laws we have seen, it is now clear that the minimum wage is based on take home and going by that, it is clear that Anambra has been complying with the provisions of the law.”
   
According to him, it would have been a different thing if Anambra had workers on grade level one, but the state doesn’t have that. He said the governor has also set up another committee that will look into the issue of increasing the wages for workers and the committee will comprise NLC, TUC, NULGE, as well as government officials, including the accountant general of the state, just as labour in the state awaits the resolution of the Federal Government on the new minimum wage.
   
“We are happy that the issue of minimum wage is now coming to an end. The struggle that lasted for five years has come to an end. After the committee has looked into what the governor asked us to do, he is going to announce the increase in our wages.
 
“The governor has also graciously approved land where Labour House will be erected for labour in the state. The committee on wage award has also been set up long before now and they will submit their report in three months and the governor will make a pronouncement about our wage increase. We are happy that the meeting was a successful one,” he stated.
   
The secretary to the state government, Prof Solo Chukwulobelu, recalled that there was so much tension before the meeting, expressing joy that everything had been resolved.
   
He said from the law, it was discovered that Anambra is fully compliant, adding that the governor has further set up another committee which he, the SSG, will chair to anticipate the outcome of the national minimum wage discussion across the country.
   
“It will take a long time for the outcome to be ready and the joint committee of government and labour will surely come up with an acceptable wage structure for Anambra State,” the SSG said.