The organised labour has submitted a list of its representatives who will represent Nigerian workers on the negotiation panel which is set to be constituted by the Federal Government, this was necessitated ahead of negotiations for the payment of a new minimum wage scheduled to commence in April, 2024.
The Federal Government in its usual ways often set up a tripartite committee for a minimum wage implementation, to ensure smooth negotiations.
The committee would have some members, representing the organised labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), alongside officials of government and the private sector in the committee.
It was captured in the 2024 budget proposed the sum of N1tn to cater to minimum wage adjustment and other expenses.
Government officials insisted that the minimum wage would align with the current standard of living in the country, inline with this, the amount would later be streamlined.
There have been several calls for an increase in the minimum wage by the organised labour, since the period of removal of fuel subsidy by the President, during his May 29, 2023 inaugural speech, which led to hike in cost of living.
Government had earlier approved the sum of N35,000 monthly as wage award for workers pending the time when the new minimum wage would commence, for its assumed negotiations were not yet time for a new minimum wage.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, in a statement said, “the new minimum wage will commence in April 2024.”
The Head of Information of the NLC, Benson Upah, who spoke with newsmen on Thursday on telephone said, “though the union was not aware of the constitution of a new minimum wage panel, but the government had asked the organised labour to send a list of its representatives.
Upah further stressed that, “The Federal Government reached asked us to send in our list of nominees or names of those who would represent us in the committee late last year and we complied appropriately, but not aware the committee has been constituted now.”
In the same vein, the Trade Union Congress Vice President, Tommy Etim, expressed that the unions were worried over the late constitution of the panel and assured Nigerians that “no stone would be left unturned to effectively negotiate with the government on the new National Minimum Wage for the betterment of the citizenry.”
