The Organised Labour has agreed to participate in the Tripartite Committee on the Minimum Wage meeting scheduled for Tuesday. This was confirmed by Mr. Etim Okon, Vice President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), in an interview  on Monday in Abuja.

Previously, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the TUC walked out of the negotiation meeting after the Federal Government proposed a new minimum wage of N48,000 for workers, which the unions found insufficient.

“The proposal falls significantly short of meeting our needs and aspirations,” the unions stated. They also accused the government of failing to provide substantiated data to support their offer, exacerbating the situation, and of lacking transparency and good faith, which undermines the credibility of the negotiation process.

Mr. Okon mentioned that the federal government has apologized, and the unions will attend the next meeting on Tuesday to present their demands. “We will still be presenting the N615,000 figure. 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. Considering transportation, housing, food, utilities, health, and education, among others, are basic needs of the people. The government should clearly explain how they arrived at their offer, including the indices and variables used,” he said.

Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, Director-General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), expressed hope for a successful outcome in the Tuesday meeting. He noted that the federal government had addressed the previous walkout by labour.

“I am happy the government has addressed the issue, and they will return to the table for actual negotiations. Each proposal is valid: Labour’s N615,000 proposal reflects their reality, the government’s N48,000 reflects their perspective, and the private sector’s N54,000 is valid in the current context. We are back at the negotiation table and will work on aligning positions. There will be a lot of give-and-take, and a consensus on the National Minimum Wage will be reached. The committee will then make a recommendation to the President,” he said.