"The current economic realities make the proposed wage of N62,000 by the federal government to the labour union grossly inadequate to meet the basic needs of workers and their families."
A group, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), has described the proposed minimum wage of N62,000 as grossly inadequate to cater for the welfare of workers in Nigeria.
The federal government and organised private sector proposed the N62,000 minimum wage, which the workers, under the auspices of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have rejected with a counter-demand of N250,000.
Meanwhile, the governors, through the Nigerian Governors' Forum (NGF), have raised the alarm on the implications of the proposal. The governors said they cannot pay N60,000 minimum wage.
HEDA, in a statement by its Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, slammed the governors for rejecting the proposal and called on all governments at every level to prioritise workers.
"The current economic realities make the proposed wage of N62,000 by the federal government to the labour union grossly inadequate to meet the basic needs of workers and their families," Mr Suraju stated.
While criticising the governors for rejecting the N62,000 proposal, HEDA said the tripartite committee must consider the long-term implications of the minimum wage on the future of the country.
"It's hypocritical for governors accused of looting billions of naira from the states and, considering the increased federal allocation received in recent months, to claim they can't afford a living wage for workers," Mr Suraju said.
"The tripartite committee of the government must consider the long-term implications of their negotiations on Nigeria's future. The current economic realities and the rising cost of living in Nigeria demand a more comprehensive approach to minimum wage negotiations.
"Furthermore, the history of corruption and embezzlement among governors and other public officials must be taken into account to ensure that workers are not short-changed," the statement said.
Minimum wage negotiations
Negotiations are ongoing between Nigerian labour unions and the government on what should be the new minimum wage.
Last week, the unions went on a nationwide strike, shutting down the country's power grid, airports and other sectors to demand "a living wage" from the government.
They, however, suspended the indefinite strike on Tuesday after the government invited them for negotiations.
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The talks so far have not yielded results. "They have not presented any different thing yet," the Nigeria Labour Congress said Thursday.
Labour leaders have promised to force another shutdown from next week if the government does not agree to a minimum wage.
Last week, the federal government increased the proposed national minimum wage from N60,000 to N62,000, while organised labour has lowered its demand from N494,000 to N250,000.
The two parties have not agreed on a figure yet, but the Chairman of the tripartite committee, Bukar Aji, said the two recommendations would be sent to the president for action.
Another major obstacle in the wage negotiations is the stance of state governors. Any new minimum wage agreed to would be binding on all state governments.
But the governors say they cannot even pay the earlier N60,000 proposed by the government's negotiating team.
