Union leaders have insisted they will not accept any offer below N100,000 as the minimum wage. They dismissed the federal government’s negotiation moves from N48,000 to N57,000 as “unserious.”
The National Economic Council is set to meet on Monday to continue negotiations. Previously, the federal government proposed N54,000 as the minimum wage, far below the labour unions’ initial demand of N615,000.
Despite initial demands, the NLC and TUC have maintained May 31 as the deadline for implementing the new minimum wage.
Joe Ajaero, the NLC president, had stated that the N615,000 was as a result of the current economic situation of the nation, adding that “despite earnest efforts to reach an equitable agreement, the less than reasonable action of the Government and the Organised Private Sector has led to a breakdown in negotiations.”
With the proposed initial minimum wage of N615,000, the government’s personnel costs for 1.5 million workers will rise from about N7 trillion, which it currently stands to N11 trillion.
Ben Akabueze, the director general of the budget office of the federation, had said the government’s personnel cost was over N5 trillion, with 1.5 million workers under the federal government’s payroll.
According to a “cost of living estimate” released by the NLC, it will cost a Nigerian worker N9,000 to feed for 30 days, amounting to N270,000.
Each worker is also projected to spend at least N110,000 on transportation in a month.
SOURCE: iwitnesslive.com
