The Organized Labour has firmly rejected any proposed minimum wage of N62,000 or N100,000, labeling these amounts as “starvation wages” for Nigerian workers.
Instead, they demand a minimum wage of N250,000, as presented at the last meeting of the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage.
This position was reiterated on Monday by Chris Onyeka, Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief show. Onyeka emphasized that the one-week grace period given to the Federal Government on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, will expire at midnight on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
Onyeka warned that if the Federal Government and National Assembly fail to meet the workers’ demands by the deadline, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) will convene to decide on resuming the nationwide industrial action that was temporarily halted last week.
“Our stance is unequivocal. We will not accept N62,000 or any wage that does not meet the basic needs of Nigerian workers. N100,000 is not even under consideration; our demand remains N250,000. This figure is a reasonable concession to the government, based on the current market realities and the cost of living, including essential items like rice, yam, and garri,” Onyeka stated.
He urged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to act promptly by sending an Executive Bill to the National Assembly to establish a National Minimum Wage Act that aligns with workers’ demands.
“If the government fails to address our demands by tomorrow, we will reconvene to determine our next steps. We have merely paused our nationwide indefinite strike, and this pause can be lifted if the union’s governing bodies decide so,” Onyeka concluded.
