Minimum Wage Committee Meeting Postponed Indefinitely

The Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage has indefinitely postponed its meeting without scheduling a future date, according to sources close to the matter in Abuja.

The decision to adjourn the meeting without any designated date for resumption, came after new wage proposals were discussed on Tuesday.

During the latest session of the committee, which comprises government officials, business leaders, and organized labor representatives, the Federal Government proposed an increase of ₦3,000 to its previous offer, bringing its suggested minimum wage to ₦60,000.

This adjustment is part of ongoing negotiations aimed at revising the national minimum wage to better reflect current economic realities.

On the other side, Organized Labour, represented by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), reduced its demand by ₦3,000 from its last proposal of ₦497,000.

This concession by labour groups indicates a willingness to negotiate, although the gap between the proposals of the government andlaborur remains substantial.

The indefinite postponement follows intense discussions and reflects the complexities involved in reaching a consensus that balances the economic capabilities of employers and the living wage requirements of workers.

One of the sources who is a leader of the NLC told Punch, “The meeting ended in a stalemate and meetings have been adjourned sine die.

“The government proposed N60,000 which was not accepted by Labour.”

A member of the Labour side who spoke to the platform before the meeting started noted that the organized Labour would only go lower if the government goes higher on its demands.

The source said, “This is simply a case of if they go higher, we will go lower. They need to propose something reasonable for us to propose something lower too. There is no two-way about it. Also, we have a way of meeting ourselves as members of the Labour before each committee meeting. This will help us to take a uniform stand by the time we get to the meeting front. So as long as the government is ready to present something reasonable, we will meet them in the middle.”