Organised Labour yesterday shunned a meeting of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, NMW, over what it described as government’s insulting proposal of N48,000, The Courage.
This is even as the federal government also yesterday, hinted of its readiness to shift ground on its minimum wage offer.
Recall that organised labour negotiating team, under the auspices of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and its Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart, had on Wednesday walked out of the meeting after rejecting the government’s new minimum wage proposals of N48, 000.
They contended that the government’s offer was not only insulting the sensibilities of Nigerian workers but also falling significantly short of meeting their needs and aspirations.
According to organised labour, what the government offered is a reduction in income for federal-level workers who are already receiving N30,000 as mandated by law, augmented by former President Muhammad Buhari’s 40 per cent peculiar allowance of N12,000 and the N35,000 wage award, totaling N77,000.
On Wednesday evening, after organised labour walked out of the Tripartite Committee on NNMW meeting, the Secretary/ member of the committee, Ekpo Nta, sent a letter inviting organised labour’s negotiating team to a meeting yesterday, claiming the meeting was adjourned to yesterday after deliberations.
In a letter signed by the Director Compensation, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, NSIWC, Chiadi Adighiogu, on behalf of Mr Nta, read: “I am directed to inform you that the members of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage after day-long deliberations at its 4th meeting today Wednesday 15/05/24 (yesterday), adjourned the meeting to resume tomorrow Thursday, 16/05/24 at 11am at the same venue.”
However, organized labour negotiating team did not attend the meeting and vowed not to return to the negotiation table until government put its house in other, show seriousness and transparency in the negotiation.
A member of labour’s negotiating team and deputy president of TUC, Dr Tommy Okon, said: “There was no way we could have attended the meeting today (yesterday) after we walked out yesterday (Wednesday).
”No, you do not expect us to be back at the meeting. We are not pushovers. We expect government to put its house in order and present something meaningful. Until the government shows its seriousness and the transparency to negotiate, do not expect us there. We will stay out.”
As if responding to labour’s demand, the government has pleaded with organised labour to return to the negotiation table, promising to shift ground.
Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on NNMW and a representative of the federal government, Bukar Aji, in a letter to the President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, dated May 16, 2024, announced Tuesday, May 21, as a new date for the resumption of negotiations.
The letter read: “You will recall that, organised labour representatives walked out of the Tripartite Committee meeting of yesterday (Wednesday), May 15, 2024, after the presentation of position paper by the government side.
“However, as earlier discussed, we need to all sit back on the negotiation table to analyse the tripartite position and shift grounds by all sides to enable us conclude the assignment before you travel to the International Labour Organisation, ILO, Conference holding in Geneva, Switzerland, this is to give assurance to our teeming workforce that the Tripartite Committee would do all that is possible to reduce the waiting time in concluding this assignment.”
