The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has reiterated its demand for a minimum wage of N250,000 and has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s statement on the issue. The committee responsible for determining the new minimum wage had proposed N62,000.
In his Democracy Day speech, President Tinubu mentioned that an executive bill on the new national minimum wage would soon be sent to the National Assembly for approval. However, the NLC has expressed its disagreement with this statement and remains firm in its demand.
In a statement released by the NLC, it stated, “We expected the President’s advisors to inform him that we have not reached any agreement with the federal government and employers regarding the base figure for a National Minimum Wage or its other components.” The statement was issued by Adewale Adeyanju on behalf of Joe Ajaero, who is currently attending the ILO Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
The NLC emphasized that its demand for a minimum wage of N250,000 still stands and that no compelling reasons have been provided to change this position. The union considers this demand to be a significant concession made by Nigerian workers during the negotiation process.
The NLC also clarified that no agreement has been reached with the Federal Government regarding the new minimum wage. It expressed surprise at President Tinubu’s claim of an agreement and stated that it has not received a copy of the document submitted to him.
“We are therefore taken aback by the President’s submission regarding a supposed agreement. We believe he may have been misinformed about an agreement with the NLC and TUC,” the NLC stated. “There was no such agreement, and it is crucial that we immediately clarify this to the President, Nigerians, and other stakeholders to avoid any confusion surrounding the national minimum wage. We will not accept any doctored document and demand to see the original submission.”
It is crucial that we communicate to the President, Nigerians, and other national stakeholders that there was no national minimum wage figure presented, in order to prevent any confusion in the ongoing discussion. Furthermore, we have not received a copy of the document submitted to the President and we will not accept any altered document.
The NLC remains firm in its position of rejecting any national minimum wage that would result in a wage that is barely enough to survive.
“We cannot continue to work and still live in extreme poverty. We are advocating for justice, fairness, and equality for all Nigerians, and we hope that Mr. President will uphold his promise of a Living Wage for Nigerian workers. This is an opportunity for him to demonstrate that he listens to the voices of Nigerians, as he pledged!” stated the NLC.
