The Federal Government will on Tuesday resume negotiations with organised labour and other stakeholders on the N48,000 it proposed as the new national minimum wage.
Also, there are indications that the government might review the proposal upward.
The Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, Alhaji Bukar Goni, indicated this in a letter of invitation to labour leaders Yesterday.
This happened 24 hours after the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress walked out on the minimum wage negotiation committee after the Federal Government offered to pay N48,000 as the new minimum wage.
The organised private Sector, on the other hand, proposed an initial offer of N54,000. After dumping the talks, the labour leaders addressed a press conference where they expressed their anger over the Federal Government’s offer.
The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, insisted on N615,000 minimum wage, arguing that the amount was arrived at after an analysis of the current economic situation and the needs of an average Nigerian family of six.
He blamed the government and the OPS for the breakdown in negotiation, saying, “Despite earnest efforts to reach an equitable agreement, the less than reasonable action of the Government and the Organised Private Sector has led to a breakdown in negotiations.”
