₦48,000 Offer: FG Sends Fresh Message To Labour Leaders On Minimum Wage

The federal government has asked labour leaders and other stakeholders to return to the negotiating table and continue discussions on the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Naijaonpoint understands the Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, Bukar Goni, sent a letter of invitation to labour leaders dated May 16, 2024 for a meeting on Tuesday, 21st May.

This development comes barely 24 hours after the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) stormed out of a meeting of the minimum wage negotiation committee on Wednesday over what they termed a ridiculous offer from the government.

It would be recalled that the government offered ₦48,000 as the new minimum wage while the Organized Private Sector (OPS), proposed N54,000 during the meeting while the labour maintained its stand on a ₦615,000 minimum wage for workers.

In a statement released after the meeting, the labour leaders expressed disappointment, saying the federal government has shown its unseriousness with the amount it proposed.

They described the ₦48,000 proposed new minimum wage by the federal government as an insult to the sensibility of Nigerian workers.

However, according to Punch, there are indications the government may review its proposal upward during the fresh meeting.

The tripartite committee chairman, in his letter, is understood to have indicated the willingness of the government to shift grounds on its ₦48,000 offer.

The letter was titled, ‘Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage: Negotiation.’