'N615,000 Or Nationwide Strike,' Organized Labour Tells FG About Proposed Minimum Wage

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have urged the federal government to raise the minimum wage to N615,000.

This request is consistent with the country's current economic realities, which include major price increases for critical products such as food, transportation, and electricity.

Joe Ajaero, president of the National Labour Congress (NLC), and his TUC counterpart, Festus Osifo, made this call on Wednesday, May 1, at the Workers' Day celebration in Eagle Square, Abuja.

They asked the government to hasten the implementation of the new national minimum wage for workers, with the goal of completing it by the end of May.

The unions warned that failure to do so will result in a clash.

Tuesday night, the NLC criticized the 25 and 35 percent compensation increases for several categories of public employees as a waste of time.

Comrade Ajaero stated in his speech yesterday: “At this point, comrades, we want to inform you that the process of fixing a new national minimum wage is continuing.

“All parties in the tripartite process are well represented and the engagement has been robust. We have placed our demand of N615,000 only before our social partners while we await their offer.

“If, however, the negotiation of the minimum wage is not concluded by the end of May, the trade union movement in Nigeria will no longer guarantee industrial peace in the country,” Ajaero said.

Ajaero underlined that the process of setting a new national minimum wage was still ongoing and had required substantial thought.

He encouraged workers to be attentive and active, underlining that the negotiations were nearing an end.

"Our figures are based on objective realities around the nation and not based on some fantasy; but on what confronts us as workers around the nation.

“We want to be able to buy food stuff, housing, among others.

“Any wage that is below this living wage condemns workers to starvation,” he said.

Ajaero also urged the government to raise the retirement age for federal and state civil servants from 60 to 65 years, and from 35 to 40 years of service, as it did for teachers and judges.