Why We Rejected FG’s ₦60,000 Minimum Wage Offer, We May Go On Strike – Organised Labour

Organised Labour has said it rejected the Federal Government’s new minimum wage proposal of ₦60,000 because it does not tally with the nation’s economic realities.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) President, Festus Osifo, said this during an appearance on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today. 

Osifo condemned the federal government’s nonchalant attitude over deliberations about a new minimum wage, saying that organised labour will go on strike if the issue are not resolved immediately.

He said with Nigeria’s inflation rate of 33.69% as of April 2024 based on data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), labour had to “completely reject” the Federal Government’s latest offer of ₦60,000.

Osifo said: “The government must be very serious in addressing the issue of a new minimum wage.

“So, for us, we completely reject it. We want the government to be serious. Let them come and give us a breakdown of how a family is going to live with the minimum wage of ₦60,000.

“Remember, our ultimatum still subsists that we have issued on May 1st and today is the 28th day of May. So, what that clearly means is that we still have three days to resolve this matter.”

Speaking on the reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu, Osifo has accused the government of policy somersaults and not having “deep thinking”.

“So, for us, we would rate them 2.5 out of 10 which is 25%,” he said.

For months, labour unions and the Federal Government have been locked in negotiations over a new minimum wage with the former giving an ultimatum of May 31st.

Labour had initially demanded a  ₦615,000 minimum wage but reduced it twice and now at ₦494,000.

The government and the organised private sector had initially proposed ₦48,000 and ₦54,000 which were also rejected by the labour.

During a meeting of the committee on minimum wage on Tuesday, labour rejected the Federal Government’s new minimum wage proposal.

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