From News Editor
The federal government has fixed a meeting for today to consider proposals by the organised labour for a new minimum wage, just as a source at the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said from all indications, the government might consider amounts ranging N150,000 to N200,000 as the template for further negotiation.
The meeting which is to take place at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) will be attended by the government representatives on Tripartite committee on new minimum wage only.
A letter scheduling the meeting, dated April 24 and signed by a Permanent Secretary in the SGF Office, said that, “the purpose of the meeting is to deliberate and agree on government position on the new minimum wage which will be presented at the next meeting of the triparted Committee”.
The two major labour centres, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), had earlier made separate proposals for the new minimum wage based on what they called existing economic realities.”
They asked government to accede to their demand for a living wage that sustains an average worker based on the ever-rising cost of living.
TUC had proposed a figure of N447,000 per month, while the NLC later adjusted its stance to request N794,000 per worker.
However, in their latest submission to the government, both unions jointly proposed N615,000 as the new minimum wage, reflecting a compromise in the face of economic challenges.
At the meeting summoned by the SGF today, the government side is expected to consider all positions including that of the governors under the auspices of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum before arriving at a middle ground.
A source at the SGF office, said from all indications, the federal government might consider amounts ranging N150,000 to N200,000 as the template for further negotiation. {THISDAY}
