The Organised Labour has returned to the tripartite committee talks on minimum wage.
This is after Labour officials last week stormed out of the Zoom meeting with the Federal Government after a proposed N48,000 as the minimum wage.
The union described the offer as being in bad faith considering its N615,000 proposal.
The decision to return for talks was taken at the joint meeting of the National Executive Councils of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The Labour centres insisted on the May 31 deadline for the completion of minimum wage talks.
They also directed their state councils to issue an ultimatum to governors not paying the subsisting N30,000 minimum wage.
Labour stressed in the communiqué of yesterday’s meeting “the non-negotiable nature of the demands put forth by Nigerian workers”.
It urged the government “to prioritise the resolution of these issues in the best interest of industrial peace”.
The communiqué reads: “After thorough deliberations and considerations of these current realities as they affect Nigerian workers and masses, the NEC-in-session of both centres resolved as follows:
“Electricity tariff hike: The NEC once again vehemently condemns the unilateral increase in electricity tariff by the authorities.
“This action, taken without due consideration for the economic hardships faced by the masses and the provisions of the law, is deemed unjust and burdensome.
“The NEC reaffirms its demands for an immediate reversal of the tariff hike and the vexatious apartheid categorisation into bands to alleviate the suffering of Nigerian workers and citizens and gives the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Federal Government until the last day of May 2024 to meet these demands.
“Negotiation of the new national minimum wage: The NEC acknowledges the ongoing negotiations between the NLC/TUC, the Organised Private Sector (OPS) and the Federal Government regarding the new national minimum wage.
“While appreciating the efforts made thus far, the NEC emphasises the urgency of reaching a fair and equitable agreement that reflects the true value of Nigerian workers’ contributions to the nation’s development and the current crisis of survival facing Nigerians as a result of government’s policies.
“The NEC affirms its commitment to ensuring that the interests and welfare of workers are adequately protected in the negotiation process.
“The NEC-in-session, therefore, reiterates the ultimatum issued by the NLC and TUC to the Federal Government, which expires on the last day of this month.”
