By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigerian workers have been urged to accept the N60,000 minimum wage being proposed by the federal government because of the challenging economic environment.
The Director-General of the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr Segun Ajayi-Kadir, made this appeal to the labour unions while speaking on a Channels Television programme on Saturday.
According to him, it may be very difficult for the government and private businesses to pay above what the federal government is proposing to pay.
The MAN leader explained that the ongoing negotiations between the government and the private sector with labour are not about a living wage, but a minimum wage—the lowest amount that can be paid to any worker in the country.
According to Mr Kadir-Ajayi, the economic environment has been challenging for labour and private businesses.
“To start with, this is a challenging time for anyone to negotiate minimum wage. From the perspective of the government, labour, and organised private sector, we operate in an environment where there is general acceptance that the macroeconomics are not right, even though the global economy is experiencing a lot of shakeups and the aftermath of government necessary reforms.
“From the beginning of the negotiations of the minimum wage, it’s evident to the tripartite— that is the government, labour, and organised private sector— that we are going to operate in difficult terrain.
“Incidentally, the organised private sector and government have offered N60,000 as the minimum wage and I think it is very important for us to understand that what we are talking about is the minimum wage.
“That is what some people have called the walk-in wage. That is the amount we will pay the least workers in the country. It is the minimum wage we are negotiating, not a living wage,” he said.
Mr Kadir-Ajayi noted that there are massive constraints on the part of both the government and the private sector to fulfil the proposed N419,000 living wage labour request.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Friday declared an indefinite strike beginning from Monday (June 3) over the hike in electricity tariff and the inability of a tripartite committee on new minimum wage to reach a consensus.
