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Just In:Why Strike May Resume Tuesday After Labour Vows To Reject N100,000 Minimum Wage
Labor Vows to Reject ₦100,000 Minimum Wage
The organized labour has vowed to reject any proposal for a minimum wage of ₦62,000 or ₦100,000, describing it as a “starvation wage”.
Chris Onyeka, Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), stated that the union won’t accept anything less than ₦250,000, which they consider a living wage for an average Nigerian worker.
“Our position is very clear. We have never considered accepting ₦62,000 or any other wage that we know is below what we know can take Nigerian workers home,” Onyeka said.
Labor Demands ₦250,000 Minimum Wage
Onyeka emphasized that the union’s position is clear: they won’t negotiate a starvation wage. “We will not negotiate a starvation wage. We have never contemplated ₦100,000, let alone ₦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,” he explained. The union has given the Federal Government a one-week grace period to review its proposal, which expires on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
Government and National Assembly Must Act
Onyeka urged the Federal Government and National Assembly to take action on the union’s demands. “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 facts of the law, and then come up with a National Minimum Act that meets our demands,” he said.
Why strike May Resume Tuesday
If the government fails to meet the union’s demands, they will meet to decide on the next course of action, which may include resuming the nationwide strike. “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,” Onyeka warned. When asked what the decision of labour would be should the government insist 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.”
Background on Minimum Wage Talks
The minimum wage negotiations have been ongoing for weeks, with the labor unions demanding a new wage and the reversal of the electricity tariff hike. The current minimum wage of ₦30,000 is no longer sufficient for an average Nigerian worker, according to the union. Despite several meetings and negotiations, the parties have yet to reach an agreement.
