After organized labor representatives, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), flatly rejected the government's offer of N48,000 during their previous meeting, the government decided yesterday to increase its offer to N54,000 in order to match what the organized private sector had proposed.
Professor Theophilus Ndubuaku, a committee member representing the NLC, told reporters following yesterday's resumed meeting of the Tripartite Committee on Minimum salary that labor has not changed its stance about its demand for a new minimum salary of N615,000.
Additionally, he stated that the labor union's deadline of May 31 for the government to wrap up all negotiations remains in effect and warned that if the government misses this deadline, it might not get another notice of a strike.
He clarified that the government team needed time to decide before making the N54,000 offer.
He claimed that before Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, announced the N54,000 payment, the government team wasted time formulating a position.
We continued to tell them that the ground they had moved was insufficient, and that they should not have begun the negotiation because, as of right now, the lowest paid worker's take-home pay exceeds N70,000. Thus, by their own standards, we haven't begun to discuss a minimum wage.
We are currently discussing a wage decrease because they are claiming that if we leave there and reach an agreement on N54,00, it implies we will go out and inform those who are currently making N77,000 that their pay has been cut.
We informed them that employees could not possibly begin making less money than they were already making. Is it that there has been a decrease in inflation, that living standards have increased, or that food prices have decreased?
Why are they going to negotiate a pay cut now? It is unimaginable that labor will get down and begin negotiating salary reductions; we cannot be involved in this kind of activity. What foundation will it have? Will it be because they are now receiving less money than they did before the removal of the petroleum subsidy?
Or, given that both inflation and the cost of living are rising, why are they now discussing salary reductions? We informed them that this was unacceptable, but we were forced to adjourn because it would not be in the best interests of the Tripartite Committee to continue negotiations without the governors' participation.
"They claimed they had no idea why the governors, six of whom are expected to be on that committee, were not present. We warned them that this is a big issue as, even if we reach an agreement at the end, they would claim that it doesn't apply to them because they weren't present.