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The Organised Labour has vowed to reject any ₦62,000 or ₦100,000 minimum wage proposal for Nigerian workers by the Federal Government.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television on Monday, the Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Chris Onyeka, described such a proposal as a “starvation wage.”
Onyeka insisted that labor would not accept the latest government’s offer of ₦62,000, saying that its latest demand as the living wage for an average Nigerian worker remained at ₦250,000.
He said, “Our position is very clear. We have never considered accepting ₦62,000 or any other wage that we know is below what we know can take Nigerian workers home. We will not negotiate a starvation wage
"We never even considered the possibility of ₦100,000, let alone ₦62,000. Our position is still at ₦250,000, which we believe is a significant concession to the government and other stakeholders in this situation. Our decisions are based on the real-life expenses we face every day, such as the cost of rice, yam, garri, and other essential items."
Onyeka mentioned that the one-week grace period given to the Federal Government to review its proposal last Tuesday, June 4, 2024, would end at midnight on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
He also stated that if the Federal Government and National Assembly did not address the workers' demands by Tuesday (tomorrow), the organized labour would meet to decide on resuming the nationwide strike.
He stated that the responsibility now lies with the Federal Government and the National Assembly, saying it was not within their jurisdiction to make the decision.
He stated: "Our request is for the government to review our demands and present an Executive Bill to the National Assembly. The National Assembly should then consider our demands and the legal aspects before enacting a National Minimum Wage Act that aligns with our requirements.
"If our demands are not met, we have given the Federal Government a one-week ultimatum, which expires tomorrow (Tuesday). If by then we do not receive a substantial response from the government, the organized labour bodies will convene to determine the next course of action."
When questioned about the Labour's stance if the government insisted on ₦62,000, he responded, "Our position was clear.
We announced a temporary suspension of the indefinite strike. It's akin to putting it on hold. Therefore, if the union leadership decides to lift this hold, it means we revert to the previous state of affairs."
