The organised labour has declared that ₦100,000 is insufficient for their demands, let alone the ₦62,000 the Federal Government has proposed as the new minimum wage for workers.
Chris Onyeka, Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), made this clear on Monday, June 10, 2024, during an interview on Channels Television.
Onyeka described the government’s proposal as a “starvation wage” and firmly stated that the union would not accept the ₦62,000 offer, emphasizing their demand for a living wage of ₦250,000.
“Our position is unequivocal. We have never considered accepting ₦62,000 or any wage that is insufficient for Nigerian workers. We will not negotiate a starvation wage.
“We haven’t even contemplated ₦100,000, let alone ₦62,000. We are steadfast at ₦250,000, which we believe is a fair concession to the government and other social partners given the market realities of essential items like rice, yam, and garri,” he said.
Onyeka mentioned that the one-week grace period given to the government to review its proposal would expire by midnight on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
He revealed that the labour unions would convene to decide on resuming the nationwide strike if the government and the National Assembly fail to act on their demands by June 11, 2024.
“The Federal Government and the National Assembly have the responsibility now. They need to consider our demands, draft an Executive Bill, and for the National Assembly to pass a National Minimum Wage Act that meets our requirements.
“If our demands are not met by tomorrow (Tuesday), we will reconvene and decide our next course of action,” he stated.
He added that if the government insists on its ₦62,000 offer, the organised labour would have no choice but to resume the previously paused nationwide strike.
“We clearly stated that we paused an indefinite nationwide strike. If the unions decide to lift this pause, we will revert to the previous strike,” he said.
The strike was suspended last week after the government promised to increase the minimum wage above ₦60,000. However, Festus Osifo, the president of the TUC, has made it clear that the unions would not accept any insubstantial increase.
