Minimum Wage Strike: Organised Labour Takes Decision on FG’s Payment of N494,000
- Organised labour has expressed concerns about the federal government's willingness to meet its demand regarding the new minimum wage
- The NLC and the TUC have not voiced an actual figure after suspending their strike for 5 days and demanding N494,000 as the minimum wage and Tinubu offered over N60,000
- Benson Upah, head of department of Information NLC, shared further details on labour's agreement with the FG
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Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said that it is not fixated on a figure as negotiations continue with the federal government over a new national minimum wage.
Wage: Labour tells FG to offer a reasonable figure
Recall that the NLC and its Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Monday, June 3, commenced a nationwide strike over a new minimum wage and the recent hike in electricity tariff for Band A customers.
But on Tuesday, June 4, organised labour suspended the industrial action for five days after reaching an agreement on a new minimum wage that will be “above N60,000.”
The government disclosed the figure on Monday, after a meeting with the the NLC and the TUC, at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) in Abuja.
Reacting to the development, on Tuesday, Benson Upah, Head of Department of Information NLC, disclosed that organised labour is not fixated on a figure but would consider a fair and reasonable figure that can take a family of six home, Vanguard reported.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise TV, he stated thus:
“We are not fixated on any figure; our first offer was N615,000, but we climbed down, and we’re now on N494,000. Let me be emphatic; our fixation is with value. If today the government takes the needed decisions to create value around the naira, we’ll be ready to take a figure that is realistic.
“In 1981, the national minimum wage was N125, equivalent to $188. If the government takes the requisite decision to create value around the naira, we’ll be ready to take a figure that is fair and square.”
“Reject N60k slave wage”: Sowore urges organised labour
Legit.ng earlier reported that the convener of the Revolution Now Campaign, Omoyele Sowore, charged organised labour not to back down in their struggle for better minimum wage.
Sowore said the leadership of the NLC and the TUC should reject the "N60,000 slave wage".
According to Sowore, some of the people proposing the N60,000 minimum wage spend that same amount per minute.
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Source: Legit.ng