After a marathon of meetings on Friday, the Federal Government and the organised private sector have decided to increase their offer for the new minimum wage to ₦62,000 from the previous ₦60,000. Yes, that’s right, just an extra ₦2,000.
Why It Matters..
Meanwhile, the organised labour, which initially proposed a whopping ₦494,000, has now brought its demand down to ₦250,000. Clearly, there’s a massive gap between what the government is offering and what the workers are demanding.
The tripartite committee, set up by the Federal Government to deliberate on this issue, has finally wrapped up its months-long discussions. The recommendations from these talks will now be sent to President Tinubu, who is expected to forward an executive bill to the National Assembly for legislative action.
Since the committee started its work in January, there’s been a common consensus: the current minimum wage of ₦30,000 is no longer sustainable given Nigeria’s economic realities. But agreeing on a new figure has been a drawn-out battle.
The government and the organised private sector viewed labour’s original demand of ₦494,000 as absurdly high, while labour felt the initial offer of ₦60,000 was laughably low. This disagreement led to a strike by the unions on June 3, after their ultimatum expired on May 31, causing a nationwide shutdown of businesses.
However, the strike was suspended on Tuesday when the Federal Government promised to bump the minimum wage to something higher than ₦60,000. Negotiations resumed and continued late into Friday night.
What They Are Saying
Despite this, the government and private sector’s proposal to add a mere ₦2,000 to the previously rejected ₦60,000 is unlikely to satisfy the workers. Festus Osifo, President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), expressed this sentiment on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme. He stated, “We won’t accept just a few thousand naira more. We need a substantial increase.”
Osifo’s frustration was palpable. During the Friday meeting, the tripartite committee initially refused to budge beyond ₦60,000. But by Monday, Mr. President committed to a figure higher than ₦60,000, although specifics were still vague.
When asked if Labour would accept a small incremental addition, Osifo was clear: “No, we told them we won’t accept minor increases. We need a significant boost.”
Adding another layer to this matter, the 36 state governors have already declared that even the ₦60,000 proposal is unsustainable. According to a statement by Halima Ahmed, Acting Director of Media Affairs and Public Relations for the Governors’ Forum, many states would exhaust their entire monthly allocations just paying salaries if this proposal is approved.
The governors are urging the tripartite committee to settle on a wage that’s fair and sustainable for all parties involved.
Bottom Line
So, what’s the deal with the ₦2,000 increase? It’s almost like the government added it just to cover POS charges. It’s time for our leaders to get serious—perhaps they should cut their own unnecessary allowances first and see if they can make ends meet like the civil servants they claim to serve.
