The organised labour, yesterday, gave the Federal Government, May 31, the deadline to conclude the minimum wage negotiation or face a nationwide industrial action.

This came as President Bola Tinubu, promised that his administration was working on a new minimum and living wage to improve the welfare of workers in the country.

The organised labour during the May Day celebration at the Eagle Square, Abuja, also insisted on N615,000 minimum wage, even as it placed an 18-point demand before the government, threatening to shut down the country if the Federal Government failed to accede to their requests by May 31.

This came as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, congratulated Nigerian workers on this Year’s International Workers’ Day and charged them to resist all anti-people tendencies seeking to compromise and undermine the democratic tenets of freedom, rule of law, accountability and probity in the country.

Also, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi greeted Nigerian workers, saying he stands with them in solidarity for their resilience and doggedness to ensure a better Nigeria.

President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Mr Joe Ajaero and his Trade Union Congress, TUC, counterpart, Festus Osifo, lamented the excruciating living conditions of the Nigerian masses and especially of workers in the last year.

They said: “The last minimum wage of N30,000 expired on April 18 and we should be in the regime of new minimum wage as of today. Discussions were supposed to have been concluded.

“The Federal Government through the National Assembly legislated on it. But we saw that the discussion entered voice mail because the Federal Government refused to reconvene the meeting that was adjourned.

“We think the announcement now appears mischievous because there is no agreed minimum wage that the government is announcing. For them to announce it now, is an issue we are worried about at the NLC and the TUC.”According to the labour leaders, though robust engagement with all stakeholders has been on, labour was pressing for a two-year lifespan for the new National Minimum Wage Act, with automatic adjustments triggered by inflation surpassing 7.5 per cent.

hey said: “The battle for a new national minimum wage rages on. Our demand of N615,000 stands firm, rooted in the grim reality of workers’ lives across the nation. Through rigorous engagement with all stakeholders, we’ve pressed for a two-year lifespan for the new act, with automatic adjustments triggered by inflation surpassing 7.5 per cent.

“Every employer with five employees and above must comply. We demand robust monitoring and strict penalties for non-compliant state governments. We have based our figures on real data gathered from your responses nationwide, ensuring that our demand reflects the true cost of living for an average family.“Our message is clear: anything less than a living wage condemns workers to poverty. We urge vigilance as we near the finish line, determined not to let other interests derail our pursuit of economic justice. Together, we will ensure that President Tinubu’s promise of a living wage becomes a reality for every worker in Nigeria.