Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The tripartite negotiation on the new national minimum wage involving the Federal Government, organised Labour and the Organised Private Sector, OPS, which began on Tuesday and continued Wednesday in Abuja, has ended in a deadlock following the inability of the committee to reach a consensus.
While Labour made a slight downward adjustment from N615,000 to N500,000, and then to N497,000; the Government team and the private sector representatives, made a slight upward adjustment from N54,000 to N57,000 respectively.
Meanwhile, all six state Governors save Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, who are members of the committee stayed away from the meeting, now rescheduled for Tuesday, May 28.
Ikengaonline gathered from sources at the committee that while Labour team was making strong arguments based on the economic realities, Government team was looking at the sustainability and implementation of whatever would be agreed.
The Government team was quoted as arguing that about eight states still find it difficult to pay the 2019 agreed minimum wage.
