Despite decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to adjust from its previous demand of N615,000 to N497,000 as minimum wage, the federal government has remained adamant.
In last Wednesday’s meeting of Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage, federal government representatives adjusted from its previous N48,000 to N54,000 which it had earlier proposed for workers in the private sector.
However, after much deliberation, the federal government proposed it could only settle for N57,000, also agreed to by the Organized Private Sector, as minimum wage.
NLC and TUC had moved from their previous demand of N615,000 to N500,000 to N497,00, which the government refused. Each holding to its stand, the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage agreed to reconvene on Tuesday, May 28.
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A source present in the meeting told Vanguard, the federal government would not accept proposal by organized labour for reasons of payment. The anonymous source said about eight state governments were yet to pay the 2019 approved minimum wage of N30,000 to workers.
The source said organized labour’s mathematics in what made up their demand was understandable, but paucity of fund would not allow the federal government pay if it accepted labour’s proposal. The source also said private sector would be unable to pay what labour proposed.
Recall that Professor Theophilus Ndubuaku, NLC member of the minimum wage committee had said the federal government cannot claim paucity of funds as reason not to accept labour’s proposed minimum wage.
Ndubuaku said a government that budgeted N200 billion for SUV vehicles for Customs cannot claim to be lacking funds to pay minimum wage. He further accused Tinubu’s government of embarking on the construction of coastal highways when the ones in the same location remained impassable.
