The battle between the Trade Union Congress and the federal government of Nigeria for implementation of the new minimum wage isn’t new.
But the struggle was given a new face on Wednesday when the trade union stormed out of the negotiation table with the federal government.
Tinubu’s-led administration proposed a #48,000 minimum wage to the union which to them was abysmal, according to the union president, Mr. Festus Osifo.
The union is asking the federal government for a minimum take home of #77,000 for an average federal government worker which to them could at least settle for some of their needs including the high cost of transportation.
While speaking in a TV broadcast, the union president said “Before President Muhammadu Buhari left office, the last person in the federal ministry was earning N42,000.
“If you now factor in the wage award of N35,000 that was given, N42,000 plus N35,000 will give us N77,000, so as of today what the least federal government worker earns is N77,000.
“So, the question that we now ask is that if the least federal government worker is earning N77,000, why are you now coming to present N48,000? It does not just make any sense,” Osifo said.
He also added that the union presented a #615,000 package to the federal government with a comprehensive breakdown on how it was arrived at, but the counter presentation of the FG of #48,000 with no breakdown shows their level of unpreparedness towards meeting the demand of the labour workers and forced them to storm out of the meeting as explained by Osifo.
He concluded that the union members still maintain that all conversations around a new national minimum wage must be concluded by the end of May.
