The Organised Labour reaffirmed its stance against what it termed as “starvation wages” proposed by the government, insisting on a minimum wage of N250,000 for Nigerian workers.
Chris Onyeka, Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), reiterated this position during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief show on Monday, June 10, 2024.
Onyeka emphasized that the one-week grace period given to the Federal Government would expire by midnight on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. If the government and National Assembly fail to address the workers’ demands by then, the NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) would convene to decide on the resumption of a nationwide industrial action.
He clarified that the unions have never considered accepting lower wage proposals, such as N62,000 or N100,000, as they believe these amounts are insufficient to meet the needs of workers. Onyeka highlighted the importance of considering the daily realities faced by workers, stating:
“We have never considered accepting N62,000 or any other wage that we know is below what we know is able to take Nigerian workers home. We will not negotiate a starvation wage.”
He continued by pointing out the significance of the proposed wage in relation to everyday expenses, saying:
“We are still at N250,000, that is where we are, and that is what we considered enough concession to the government and the other social partners in this particular situation. We are not just driven by frivolities but the realities of the market place; realities of things we buy every day, bag of rice, yam, garri, and all of that.”
The unions have presented their demands to the government and expect the Executive and the National Assembly to take appropriate action. If these demands are not met, the Organised Labour will consider further steps, potentially including the resumption of a nationwide strike.
