The Federal Government has increased its initial minimum wage proposal from N57,000 to N60,000 during a meeting of the tripartite committee on minimum wage in Abuja on Tuesday. However, the organized labour, consisting of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has reduced its demand from N497,000 to N494,000.
According to a source present at the meeting, the government’s revised offer was not well-received by the labour leaders.
A union member, speaking to our correspondent before the meeting, emphasized that organized labour is willing to negotiate only if the government makes a more substantial offer.
“This is simply a case of if they go higher, we will go lower. They need to propose something reasonable for us to adjust our demands accordingly. There is no two-way about it,” the union member stated.
He added that the labour unions meet prior to each committee meeting to ensure a unified stance. “As long as the government is ready to present something reasonable, we will meet them in the middle,” he said.
More details to follow.