The Tripartite Committee meeting on the new minimum wage will reconvene on Friday, May 31, 2024, as the Federal Government has extended an invitation to Organised Labour for the continuation of negotiations. 

The Secretary of the Committee, Ekpo Nta, confirmed the meeting in a letter addressed to the Presidents of the two major labour centres, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The upcoming meeting will be the seventh in the ongoing series of discussions aimed at reaching a consensus on a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers. 

The previous meeting, held on Tuesday, ended in a stalemate as the Organised Labour firmly rejected the Federal Government’s offer of ₦60,000.

Labour representatives, however, have shown some flexibility by adjusting their demands downward from an initial request of ₦497,000 to ₦494,000. This marks a significant reduction from their original demand of ₦615,000, which they had revised twice in an effort to reach a compromise.

For months, labour unions and the Federal Government have been engaged in protracted negotiations over the new minimum wage. The Organised Labour had issued an ultimatum with a deadline of May 31st, insisting that the government meet their wage demands to alleviate the economic pressures on Nigerian workers.

The Federal Government and the Organised Private Sector had initially proposed much lower figures of ₦48,000 and ₦54,000 respectively, both of which were outrightly rejected by the labour unions. The government’s latest offer of ₦60,000 was also dismissed, with labour leaders arguing that it does not adequately address the rising cost of living and inflation affecting workers across the country.

Ekpo Nta’s letter, addressed to Festus Osifo, President of the TUC, and Joe Ajaero, President of the NLC, emphasized the importance of the upcoming meeting in finding a resolution to the contentious wage issue.

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