JUST IN: Organised Labour Reacts To New Minimum Wage Proposal

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Organized Labour has turned down the Federal Government’s new minimum wage proposal of N54,000 on Tuesday.

One of the leaders of Organised Labour who attended the meeting disclosed to Vanguard in a telephone conversation.

This news medium earlier reported that the Federal Government proposed N54,000 to Labour during Tuesday’s meeting as against its earlier N48,000 offer.

Speaking after the meeting, a top source on the negotiation committee stated that organized labour will not accept the proposal as it does not reflect the sufferings of Nigerians.

When asked if there were any responses to the new proposal, the source responded, “We were told not to speak to the media, because of conflicting reports on minimum wage, however, they proposed N54,000, and we cannot accept that offer.

“There was no response from the Labour side, because some of the critical stakeholders were not able to attend the meeting, so it has been adjourned to 4 pm tomorrow.”

Recall that the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, insisted on N615,000 minimum wage, arguing that the amount was arrived at after an analysis of the current economic situation and the needs of an average Nigerian family of six.

He blamed the government and the Organised Private Sector (OPS) for the breakdown in negotiations, saying, “Despite earnest efforts to reach an equitable agreement, the less than reasonable action of the Government and the Organised Private Sector has led to a breakdown in negotiations.”

Ajaero further justified their decision to abandon the negotiation, saying, “The government’s proposal of a paltry N48,000 as the minimum wage does not only insult the sensibilities of Nigerian workers but also falls significantly short of meeting our needs and aspirations.

“Though it is worth noting that even the least paid workers in the private sector receive N78,000 as clearly stated by the OPS, highlighting the stark disparity between the proposed minimum wage and prevailing standards further demonstrating the unwillingness of employers and Government to faithfully negotiate a fair national minimum wage for workers in Nigeria.

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