The Organised Labour has submitted a new minimum wage proposal of N497,000 to the Federal Government. In contrast, the Federal Government and the Organised Private Sector have jointly proposed N57,000 as the minimum wage.
A source from the recently concluded tripartite committee meeting on minimum wage disclosed these developments.
“Labour has now proposed N497,000, while the Federal Government and OPS have jointly suggested N57,000,” the source said.
On January 30, 2024, President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, inaugurated a 37-member Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage. This committee aims to establish a new minimum wage before the current N30,000 wage expires on April 18.
The committee, comprising federal and state government officials, private sector representatives, and organised labour, is tasked with recommending a new national minimum wage.
During the inauguration, Shettima urged the committee members to expedite their deliberations and submit their recommendations promptly. “This timely submission is crucial to ensure the emergence of a new minimum wage,” Shettima emphasized.
As part of its efforts, the committee held simultaneous zonal public hearings on March 7 in Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, and Abuja.
During these hearings, the NLC and TUC proposed various figures for a living wage, citing economic challenges and high living costs.
In the South-West, NLC members demanded N794,000, while the TUC suggested N447,000. In the North-Central zonal hearing in Abuja, workers proposed N709,000, and in the South-South, the demand was N850,000. The North-West saw a proposal of N485,000, while stakeholders in the South-East demanded N540,000.
Ultimately, organised labour settled on N615,000 as a living wage.
