Organized Labour comprising of the NLC and TUC have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to personally intercede in negotiation over the National Minimum Wage.
This act, according to the Labour might avert the indefinite strike scheduled to take-off on Monday.
Recall, on the 28th of May, three days to the ultimatum issued by the Organized Labour, the FG proposed a fresh ₦60,000 minimum wage for workers across the federation.
Once again, the offer was rejected by the workers’ bodies, as they did to the previous proposals of ₦48,000, ₦54,000 and ₦57,000.
The Labour, while addressing newsmen, reminded the President of his promise to pay a living wage to workers in the country, which makes the offer of ₦57,000 a surprise as it doesn’t fall in the Living Wage category.
However, on Saturday, the Federal Government, through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris said the request of ₦494,000 by the Organized Labour is capable of sinking the economy.
“The Federal Government’s new minimum wage proposal amounts to a 100 per cent increase on the existing minimum wage. Labour, however, wanted N494,000, which amounted to 1,547 per cent on the existing wage.
“The sum of ₦494,000 national minimum wage which Labour is seeking would cumulatively amount to the sum ₦9.5tn bill to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“Nigerians need to understand that whereas the FG is desirous of ample remuneration for Nigerian workers, what is most critical is that President Tinubu will not encourage any action that could lead to massive job loss, especially in the private sector, who may not be able to pay the wage demanded by the Organised Labour.”
Idris, however urged the Organized Labour to return to the roundtable so as to find a solution, a sentiment shared by the Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiruka Onyecheoja.
“The government is still willing to accommodate them, to listen to words of reason and knowledge, and to know that the president is committed to the Nigerian workers and Nigerian citizens, all of us,* Onyecheoja stated.
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