Labour Leaders Say Minimum Wage is Not Set in Stone, Adjustments Possible

Amid ongoing discussions about a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers, organized labor has stated that it is not fixated on any specific figure. Last week, the tripartite committee on minimum wage concluded its deliberations, submitting two proposals to President Bola Tinubu for consideration. The government and the organized private sector suggested ₦62,000, while organized labor demanded ₦250,000 as the new minimum wage.

The President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo, appeared on Channels Television’s breakfast program, The Morning Brief, on Friday. Osifo emphasized that no figure is set in stone, indicating that there is room for negotiation. “What we said is that for us, when we give figures, there is always room to meander and adjust,” Osifo remarked. “So, no figure is sacrosanct or cast in stone that both parties must be fixated on.”

Osifo noted that a previous industrial action occurred when the government insisted that ₦60,000 was the maximum they could offer, refusing to add even a kobo. This rigidity, combined with delays, prompted the strike.

President Tinubu is expected to submit an executive bill to the National Assembly for legislative action. Osifo mentioned that while labor leaders will not pre-empt the President, they will advocate for their proposed figure over that of the government and the private sector. He also indicated that if the President’s proposal to the National Assembly is unfavorable, labor leaders will lobby lawmakers to improve it. Osifo vowed that their efforts would continue until the Minimum Wage Act 2024 becomes law, although it is too early to predict labor’s actions if the final legislation is unsatisfactory.

President Tinubu has expressed that he will only approve a new minimum wage that the government can afford. Speaking at a dinner marking Nigeria’s 25 years of unbroken democracy in Abuja, Tinubu stated, “The minimum wage is going to be what Nigerians can afford, what you can afford, and what I can afford. Cut your coat according to your size, if you have size at all.”

Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, also weighed in, expressing concern for President Tinubu if he approves an unsustainable wage. Soludo, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), warned that not all state governments and private sector organizations can afford either the ₦62,000 proposed by the Federal Government or the ₦250,000 demanded by labor. Speaking at The Platform Nigeria, a program by Lagos-based church Covenant Nation to mark 2024 Democracy Day, Soludo said, “I pity the President because it will all be on his head if the consequences come down. Whatever is negotiated, if unsustainable, months to come, who will bear the responsibility? Not me.”

The discussions for a new minimum wage have dragged on for months. While labor reduced its initial demand from ₦494,000 to ₦250,000, the government increased its offer from ₦60,000 to ₦62,000. Both sides have submitted their proposals to the President, who is expected to make a decision and send an executive bill to the National Assembly to establish a new minimum wage law.