Negotiations Over New Minimum Wage Not Deadlocked – Organised Labour

The organised labour has denied a claim that the ongoing negotiations for a new minimum wage have been deadlocked.

It was earlier reported that a source said the ongoing talks for a new minimum wage ended in a stalemate following the inability of the Federal Government and the labour unions to reach a consensus on the issue.

A top official of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the stalemate happened because organised labour was insisting on an N615,000 minimum wage, and the government and the private sector were proposing between N60,000 and N70,000.

Reacting in an interview with The Punch on Wednesday, the Vice President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Tommy Etim, said it was not correct to say the negotiations over a new minimum wage had ended in a deadlock when it had not gotten to the stage of finalising agreements.

Etim clarified that organised labour only presented its side of the bargain to the committee, and the federal government and other stakeholders would present theirs.

The union leader added that the new salary increment was a bid to correct the existing salary scale, insisting that it should have been announced earlier.

He said, “It is not possible to say the committee failed to reach a consensus when its members haven’t even got to the stage of reaching agreements. So, that can’t be said.

“What Labour only did was to present its side of the bargain, and other stakeholders will present theirs, so they have not got to the stage of agreement.

“The new salary increment is in a bid to correct the salary scale that has been in existence and it should have been announced earlier than this. When the new minimum wage is announced, everything will be balanced for all Nigerians of working age.”