The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have reduced their earlier demand of N615,000 to N500,000 as the new minimum wage for workers in the country.

It was gathered that the unions reduced the new minimum wage proposal during a meeting with the Federal Government’s representatives in Abuja on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.

A source, who was at the meeting but not authorised to speak to journalists, disclosed that the government team maintained its offer of N54,000 on the basis of paucity of funds and the probability of the private sector to pay.

However, the private sector team who were at the meeting said they could afford to pay N57,000 as monthly take-home pay for their employees

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said: “Government has agreed that NLC is using evidence-based presentation. However, they argue that eight states are not paying or not fully implementing the 2019 minimum wage.

Labour rejects FG’s N54,000 new minimum wage proposal

“Government is talking of non-availability of funds. They are also talking about the inability of the private sector to pay.”

“Labour has been requested to shift in response to the government. They complied and came down to N500,000.

“The Imo State Governor has stepped in. He is not a member of the committee but it is good that there is at least a governor, as the six governors in the committee have been regularly absent.”

The NLC and the TUC had, on Tuesday, rejected the Federal Government’s proposal of N54,000 as a new minimum wage for workers in the country.

It would be recalled that the unions’ leaders walked out of their previous meeting with the government’s side of the negotiating team, which offered N48,000 as the new minimum wage, against the N615,000 proposed by labour.

The Star