The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced it will not accept any proposal of a ₦62,000 or ₦100,000 minimum wage for workers from the federal government.
In an interview on Channels Television, Chris Onyeka, the Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, called such proposals “starvation wages.”
Onyeka stated that the labour union demands a minimum wage of ₦250,000 for Nigerian workers.
“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. 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. We are not just driven by frivolities but the realities of the marketplace, realities of things we buy every day: a bag of rice, yam, garri, and all of that,” Onyeka said.
Beyond Boders recalls that the union gave the Federal Government a one-week deadline, starting from Tuesday, June 4, 2024, to review its proposal. This deadline ends on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
Onyeka warned that if the government and National Assembly do not address the workers’ demands by then, the labour union might resume its nationwide strike.
Onyeka added, “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.
“If that does not meet our demand, we have given the Federal Government a one-week notice to look at the issues and that one week expires tomorrow (Tuesday). 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.”
When asked about the union’s response if the government insists on the ₦62,000 wage, Onyeka stated, “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.”
