N24,000: FG appeals to NLC to accept proposed minimum wage

Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige has appealed to the organised labour to accept the new minimum wage proposal of N24,000 considering the capacity and ability of the government and the private sector to pay.

Ngige said this when he received the new Director-General of Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Mr Timothy Olawale, on a visit to his office on Friday in Abuja.

He made the call in reaction to labour leaders threat to call out workers on government’s offering of N24, 000 as against labour’s position of N30,000.

The minister told the NECA DG that it was imperative for organised labour to accept the proposed figure instead of the N30, 000 in line with social dialogue and the overall interest of the nation.

“We need to arrive at a figure which the employers can afford to pay as an employee cannot fix a figure for the employer.

“Rather, it must be based on collective bargaining and mutual agreement by the tripartite partners,” Ngige said.