Guardian Nigeria
• Says May 31 deadline for strike remains
Ahead of another minimum wage negotiation tomorrow, organised Labour has accused President Bola Tinubu of failing to keep his promise to Nigerian workers on living wage.
This is as organised labour threatens a showdown, saying the Federal Government should consider a wage that workers could live on and not just a sum that amounted to nothing.
They vowed that they would not accept any figure that would not take workers home.
The Federal Government, led by the Committee Chairman for the Negotiation of a New National Minimum Wage, Bukar Aji, at last Wednesday’s meeting, said that contrary to labour’s demand, the negotiation was for a new national minimum wage and not a living wage.
For tomorrow’s meeting, the President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo, said the government should be considerate enough.
He said: “It is the government that is offering; they know what is in their mind and we know what we will accept, but for N57,000 we will never accept.
“Tinubu has promised to give a living wage. That is what we are holding them to. That is the stand that we still posit that there should be a living wage. What is the essence of the minimum wage today, which is a wage that you will not live on? So we must discuss a minimum wage that workers can truly live on, not just a sum that amounts to nothing.
“It depends on the dynamics. If we are going to further reduce our N497,000 stand, our Tuesday meeting will determine if we do that for Nigerians to have a reasonable wage. However, inflation will continue to determine our position on the minimum wage,” he said.
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, who confirmed that the May 31 deadline remained, said the trade union movement was preparing and mobilising for action if the government failed to meet workers’ demands.
According to Ajaero, every national minimum wage must approximate a living wage and ultimately a universal wage. We hold the government by their words.
Another top official of NLC debunked a report that labour was targeting N100,000, stating that it was the handwork of saboteurs.
Describing the report as “fake”, he said “Under the current economic conditions, there is no way, N100,000 minimum wage will help any Nigerian.
“We have our next plans kept close to our chests. We have learned our lessons based on previous negotiations.”
