The Organised Labour has once again rejected a fresh minimum wage proposal from the Federal Government. This time, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) turned down the government’s offer of ₦60,000 as the new minimum wage.

The Organised Labour has revised its demand, lowering it from ₦497,000 last week to ₦494,000. A key member of the Tripartite Committee, responsible for negotiating a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers, revealed to Channels Television that the Federal Government and the Organised Private Sector had proposed a ₦60,000 monthly minimum wage, up from ₦57,000 offered last week.

Previously, the government had suggested ₦48,000 and ₦54,000, both of which were also rejected by the Organised Labour. Initially, the labour unions demanded ₦615,000 as the new minimum wage but reduced their request to ₦497,000 last week, and further to ₦494,000 on Tuesday.

The meeting held today ended in a deadlock, with no agreement reached on the new minimum wage. With the deadline of May 31 looming, the Tripartite Committee has yet to finalize a new wage structure. The labour unions argue that the current minimum wage of ₦30,000 is insufficient to support the average Nigerian worker, especially since not all governors are complying with this wage, which expired in April 2024, five years after the Minimum Wage Act of 2019 was signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari. The Act mandates a review every five years to keep pace with economic demands.

NLC President Joe Ajaero criticized the government’s new proposals as inadequate. “It is still not substantial compared to what we need to sustain a family,” he stated, referencing the current ₦30,000 wage. “The workers’ economy is completely destroyed. There seem to be two economies in the country: the economy of the bourgeoisie and that of the workers. We need to harmonize these so that we can find a meeting point,” Ajaero added.