'No More N70K,' Labour Pushes For Minimum Wage Increase in 2025, Details Emerge

• The N70,000 minimum wage adopted by the federal government in 2024 after consultation with organised labour will be reviewed periodically
• Legit.ng reports that the N70,000 amount appears to depict the present position of the labour unions
• However, the good thing about it is that organised labour will not wait for another five years to come for a review

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and governance.

FCT, Abuja - Festus Osifo, president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), has said that organised labour is pushing for an annual increase in the national minimum wage paid to workers in Nigeria.

In an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, January 1, 2025, monitored by Legit.ng, Osifo explained that it is important that the minimum wage paid to workers reflects a rise in inflation every year.

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He said:

“What we are pushing on for Labour is that instead of you (the government) waiting for five years to increase the minimum wage, you will now look at the inflation of the last five years and try to make some adjustments, why can’t we reflect the inflation on an annual basis?"

Raising the federal minimum wage

Furthermore, the TUC boss stated that members of the organisation as well as their colleagues in the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have begun talks on the issue.

His words:

“For example, we have entered January 2025, by the 15th of January 2025, the National Bureau of Statistics is going to release the inflation figure for December.

“So, what we are pushing for as Labour is that, if for example, the inflation figure is 35%, apply that 35% to the N70,000 minimum wage so that it will become reflective of what the true value is.

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“When we get to 2026, you will also do similar application. That is actually what we are pushing. We shouldn’t be waiting for five years.

“In the new Act now is three years to do those adjustments but we could be doing them systemically by applying the inflation as of December of the preceding year to what the minimum wage is.

“This is part of the position that we are also going to canvass this year. We started the conversation last year but we will continue it in 2025.”

Legit.ng recalls that in July 2024, President Bola Tinubu signed the minimum wage bill, increasing the workers’ pay package from N30,000 to N70,000, into law. We cannot, however, immediately verify if the federal government has started to implement the pay for its workers at the national level. On their part, many states have not started paying the new wage package.

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Minimum wage: Labour says no strike

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Osifo said the organised labour will not strike.

According to the labour leader, embarking on strike would be unfair to states that have shown genuine commitment to paying the N70,000 approved by the federal government for the least-paid worker.

Source: Legit.ng