TUC President, Festus Osifo, strongly criticized the Federal Government’s proposed N48,000 minimum wage during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, September 19, 2023.
Osifo condemned the proposed amount, stating that it lacked feasibility and did not reflect the current economic realities facing Nigerian workers.
Osifo emphasized that the proposed N48,000 minimum wage was unacceptable, particularly in light of the fact that the lowest-paid federal government workers currently earn N77,000.
He explained that this figure was arrived at by adding the previous minimum wage of N42,000 to the N35,000 wage increase implemented before President Muhammadu Buhari left office.
He highlighted the discrepancy between the proposed minimum wage and the actual earnings of federal government workers, questioning the rationale behind offering N48,000 when the current minimum wage effectively amounted to N77,000.
Osifo argued that the proposed amount was inadequate and failed to address the financial needs of Nigerian workers.
Osifo revealed that during the minimum wage negotiations earlier that day, the labor unions had proposed a minimum wage of N615,000.
He explained that the unions had provided a detailed breakdown of how they arrived at this figure.
In contrast, the government presented a proposal of N48,000 without providing any supporting data on how it would adequately meet the needs of Nigerian workers.
The lack of data and preparation from the government led to the breakdown in negotiations, with labor union leaders walking out of the meeting.
Osifo stressed that the government’s failure to justify the proposed N48,000 minimum wage demonstrated a lack of seriousness in addressing the concerns of Nigerian workers.
He reiterated the union’s stance that all discussions regarding a new national minimum wage must be concluded by the end of May, emphasizing the urgency of the matter for Nigerian workers.
