Minister: Some States Still Have Not Paid ₦30,000 Wage, Making ₦494,000 Highly Impossible

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has urged the Organised Labour to halt its current industrial action, which has significantly impacted economic activities in the nation.

Onyejeocha emphasized that determining a new minimum wage is not solely the responsibility of the Federal Government, but also involves state governments and the Organised Private Sector.

She highlighted the importance of the tripartite committee in ensuring fair wage agreements and pointed out that some states are still struggling to meet the ₦30,000 minimum wage set in 2019, let alone the ₦494,000 demanded by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

Onyejeocha expressed concerns about the economic implications of the proposed ₦494,000 minimum wage, stating that it would be highly impractical and could result in widespread job losses and business closures.

She emphasized the significant impact of the ongoing strike on various sectors such as businesses, airports, universities, hospitals, and power supply, urging Labour to reconsider its stance, end the strike, and return to negotiations for a more feasible wage agreement.

She maintained that the tripartite committee’s payment policy should take sustainability into account in addition to the agreement on a new living wage.

The minister of labor pleaded with the unions that were wronged to take into account the ₦60,000 offer from the government and the Organized Private Sector. The minister claimed that the ₦494,000 demand from the Organized Labor would cause Nigeria’s inflation rate to rise above the current 33.69%.

As suggested by the labor unions, Onyejeocha stated that the Federal Government is taking the issue seriously and is dedicated to setting a new, reasonable minimum wage for the nation.

The Minimum Wage Act of 2019 was signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in April of 2019, but not all governors are paying the current wage award, according to the NLC and TUC, who claimed that the current minimum wage of ₦30,000 could no longer support the well-being of the average Nigerian worker. Every five years, the Act should be reviewed to ensure that it still meets the needs of workers in the modern economy.

Afterwards, labor gave the federal government until May 31 to set the new minimum wage. The country’s labor unions announced on May 31 that a nationwide walkout will start on Monday, June 3, 2024, in protest of the government committee’s inability to reach a consensus on a new minimum wage and the cancellation of the increase in electricity rates.

Afterwards, labor gave the federal government until May 31 to set the new minimum wage. The country’s labor unions announced on May 31 that a nationwide walkout will start on Monday, June 3, 2024, in protest of the government committee’s inability to reach a consensus on a new minimum wage and the cancellation of the increase in electricity rates.

Labour turned down three proposals from the government during the fruitless negotiations, the most recent being N60,000. After that, the TUC and the NLC withdrew from the talks and insisted on ₦494,000 as the new minimum wage.

Sunday night’s last-minute negotiations between labor leaders and the National Assembly leadership ended in failure when Organized Labor declared that the industrial action would not be reversed.