The Federal Government has been given till the end of May by Organised Labour to complete the process of enacting the new national minimum wage for workers.

The request was made on Wednesday in Abuja during the 2024 International Workers Day celebration by Mr Monroe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, or NLC.

The theme of this year’s festivities is “Ensuring Safety and Health at Work in a Changing Climate.” The head of labour issued a warning, saying that Nigeria might not experience industrial peace if the negotiations are not finished by the end of May. Ajaero said that there has been active participation in the current process of setting a new national minimum wage.

“There has been strong engagement and good representation from all parties in the tripartite process.

“While we wait for their offer, we have made our demand of N615,000 solely known to our social partners.

“The trade union movement in Nigeria will no longer guarantee industrial peace in the country if the negotiation of the minimum wage is not concluded by the end of May,” he stated.

Ajaero added that labour had demanded a two-year implementation period for the new Act, along with automatic salary changes whenever inflation was above 7.5 per cent. According to him, the union also insisted on paying the increased minimum wage to all employers who had five or more employees.

Ajaero demanded that monitoring and compliance systems be strengthened. According to him, Nigerian labourers ought to receive a minimum salary that is close to a livable wage.