The Organised Labour has agreed to participate in the “negotiation” meeting of the Tripartite Committee on the Minimum Wage scheduled for Tuesday,Daily Trust reports.
Mr. Etim Okon, Vice President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), confirmed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
Previously, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the TUC walked out of a negotiation meeting after the Federal Government proposed a new minimum wage of N48,000 for workers.
“The proposal falls significantly short of meeting our needs and aspirations,” the unions stated.
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Labour also accused the government of failing to provide substantiated data to support their offer, exacerbating the situation. The lack of transparency and good faith undermines the credibility of the negotiation process, they added.
“The federal government has apologized, and the next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday. We will attend and present our demand.
“We will still be presenting the N615,000 proposal. It is what we presented before we walked out, though our submission was not rejected by the government.
“We only rejected the N48,000 that the government presented because they did not show us how they arrived at that amount.
“This takes into account transportation, housing, food, utilities, health, and education, among other basic needs of the people.
“The government should clearly explain their offer with the indices and variables and how they arrived at that figure. This is all we are asking,” he said.
Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, Director-General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), also expressed hope that the Tuesday meeting of the Tripartite Committee would be successful.
Oyerinde noted that the federal government had intervened in the previous dispute, leading to Labour’s return to the negotiation process.
“I am happy the government has addressed the issue, and Labour is coming back to the table for actual negotiations.
“Everyone’s proposal is valid. Labour’s N615,000 proposal reflects their reality, the government’s N48,000 reflects theirs, and the private sector’s N54,000 reflects the current economic reality.
“As we return to the negotiation table, there will be a lot of give and take.
“A consensus on the National Minimum Wage will be reached, and the committee will then make a recommendation to the President,” he said.
