The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has made it clear that it will only accept a new minimum wage that represents the current economic realities in the country in next year’s negotiations.
Benjamin Anthony, Vice President of the National Labour Congress, announced on Tuesday at the 19th edition of the NLC 2023 Harmattan School in Abuja that the Congress was looking forward to the start of negotiations for the National Minimum Wage in 2024.
The Federal Government recently approved a N5,000 increment which raised the national minimum wage to N35,000.
In a recent interview with Punch Newspapers, Trade Union Congress Vice President Tommy Etim pointed out that inflation has eaten so deeply into Nigerians’ budgets that it is now difficult to make ends meet on a N200,000 per month salary, let alone the minimum wage.
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“The Nigerian government must be conscious of cutting down the cost of governance, and we, organised labour, should no longer negotiate minimum wage after five years; it must be negotiated every year,” he said.
Mr Anthony has urged all stakeholders involved in the negotiations to work together to reach an agreement on a fair and reasonable minimum wage, noting that some of the government’s economic decisions in recent months have adversely affected Nigerians’ living conditions.
“The removal of subsidies on petroleum products has further worsened the challenges faced by working people. That is unleashing severe pain and contributing to galloping inflation and increasing inequality and poverty,” he said.
“We must reckon that a well-motivated and well-remunerated workforce has a positive impact on productivity and national development.”
