The Organised Labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), has once again rejected the Federal Government’s new offer of a ₦57,000 minimum wage.

This is the third proposal rejected by the Organised Labour within a week, as negotiations resumed on Wednesday.
The NLC and TUC have adjusted their initial demand from ₦615,000 to ₦497,000.

A member of the Tripartite Committee, which is negotiating a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers said that the Federal Government and the Organised Private Sector proposed a ₦57,000 monthly minimum wage, up from the ₦54,000 proposed on Tuesday. The government’s initial offer of ₦48,000 last week was also rejected by the Organised Labour. The source noted that the Organised Labour saw reasons to reduce their demand from ₦615,000 to ₦497,000.
Last week, the Organised Labour withdrew from negotiations, accusing the government and the private sector of being unwilling to agree on a new minimum wage.

When negotiations resumed on Tuesday, the NLC and TUC also rejected the government’s new proposal of a ₦54,000 minimum wage.
The committee has yet to agree on a new minimum wage, with only about 10 days remaining before the May 31 deadline set by the labour unions for the government to conclude negotiations.

On Tuesday, NLC President Joe Ajaero described the government’s latest proposal as “unsubstantial.” “It is still not substantial compared to what we need to support a family,” Ajaero said on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

“There is nothing on the table… We may reconvene tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon to continue negotiations,” he added.

Ajaero also stated, “The workers' economy is completely destroyed. In fact, workers have no economy. I think there are two economies in the country: the economy of the bourgeoisie and the economy of the workers. We need to harmonize these so we can find a common ground.”