The Organised Labour has given the Federal Government until end of May to complete the process of establishing the new national minimum wage for workers.
Mr Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), made the statement on Wednesday in Abuja during the 2024 edition of International Workers Day.
This year’s theme is ‘Ensuring Workplace Safety and Health in a Changing Climate’.
The union leader cautioned that if the negotiations are not completed by the end of May, there may be no industrial peace in Nigeria.
Ajaero stated that the process of establishing a new national minimum wage was still ongoing and had seen robust engagements.
“All parties in the tripartite process are well represented and the engagement has been robust.
“We have placed our demand of N615, 000 only before our social partners while we await their offer.
“If, however, the negotiation of the minimum wage is not concluded by the end of May, the trade union movement in Nigeria will no longer guarantee industrial peace in the country,” he said.
Ajaero also said labour had placed a demand that the new Act would have a two-year life span with an agreement for automatic adjustments in wages any time inflation exceeded 7.5 per cent.
He said the union further demanded that every employer with up to five workers should pay the new minimum wage.
Ajaero called for the strengthening of monitoring and compliance mechanisms in order to penalise non-complying state governments.
He said that Nigerian workers deserve to have a national minimum wage that approximated a living wage.
