NLC, TUC release breakdown of proposed N615,000 minimum wage
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its counterpart, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have given a breakdown of their proposed N615,000 minimum wage.
A statement released by the NLC on Friday said Food and Transportation took the more significant proportion of the proposed minimum wage.
The breakdown showed that N270,000 (for thirty days) was benchmarked for Food and N110,000 for Transportation.
Others are Electricity/Power (N20,000), Accommodation (N40,000), Utility Water (N10,000), Kerosene/Gas (N35,000), Clothing (N20,000), Education (N50,000), Sanitation (N10,000) and Medicals (50,000) resulting to a total sum of N615,000.
Recall that Festus Osifo, President of TUC and Joe Ajaero, the President of NLC, in separate statements, had revealed the N615,000 minimum wage proposal.
Back story:
May Day: NLC insists on N615,000 living wage, fault FG’s 35% salary increase for civil servants
In commemorating this year’s Workers’ Day, the President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, has faulted the Federal Government’s pay raise announcement, tagging it as mischievous moves.
On Tuesday, the federal government approved a pay rise of between 25 and 35 per cent for civil servants across various consolidated salary structures.
Ajaero, while speaking on Wednesday during an interview on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, Ajaero said the last minimum wage of N30,000 expired on April 18.
“We should be in the regime of new minimum wage as of today. Discussions were supposed to have been concluded,” Ajaero said.
“The federal government, through the national assembly, legislated on it. But we saw that the discussion entered voice mail because the federal government refused to reconvene the meeting that was adjourned.
“I think the announcement now appears mischievous because there is no wage increase that the government is announcing. For them to announce it now is an issue that we are worried about at the NLC and even at the TUC.”
Ajaero further said organised labour has agreed on N615,000 as the living wage for civil servants.
“Living wage is such that will, at least, keep you alive. It is not a wage that will make you poorer and poorer. It is not a wage that will make you borrow to go to work. It is not a wage that will lead you to be in the hospital every day because of malnutrition. For that living wage, we have tried to look at N615,000,” he added.
“Let me give you a breakdown of how we arrived at that figure. We have housing and accommodation of N40,000. We asked for electricity of N20,000 — of course, that was before the current tariff increase. Nobody can spend this amount currently. We have a utility that is about N10,000. We looked at kerosene and gas, which is about N25,000 to N35,000.
“We looked at food for a family of six, that is about N9,000 in a day. For 30 days, that is about N270,000. Look at medical, N50,000 provided there will be no surgery or whatever.
“For clothing, we looked at N20,000. For education, N50,000. I don’t know if those who tried to put their children in private school will not be able to cope with this amount. We also have sanitation of N10,000.
“I think where we have another bulk of the money is transportation. This is because the workers stay on the fringes and because of the cost of PMS, which amounted to N110,000.
“That brought the whole living wage to N615,000, and I want anyone to subject this to further investigation and find out whether there will be any savings when you pay somebody on this rate.”
May Day: FG says new minimum wage to take effect from May 1, 2024
Furthermore, the federal government has assured the workers that the new minimum wage will take effect from May 1, 2024
The Minister of State Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, who stated this on Wednesday while addressing Nigerian workers at the May Day celebration in Abuja, said although the Tripartite Committee On National Minimum Wage is yet to conclude its negotiations, workers will not lose anything as the new minimum wage will take effect from Wednesday (today).
She said it is regrettable that the new national minimum wage is not ready before today but that a comprehensive consultation is ongoing if the document isn’t together as soon as possible.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have at various times called on the administration of President Bola Tinubu to hasten the upward review of wage awards. Of late, the Organised Labour demanded N615,000 as the new minimum wage for workers to cope with the many economic realities and high cost of living in Nigeria.
Tinubu Lauds Nigerian Workers
In a related development, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended Nigerian workers for the country’s growth.
He gave the commendation in his address to the workers presented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at an event to mark the 2024 Workers’ Day in Abuja.
He said the federal government is open to receiving the committee’s recommendations on the new national minimum wage while assuring workers that the reform agenda of the current administration is geared towards the progress of Nigeria.
