The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) said it was ready for negotiations on a new minimum wage, warning that the N70,000 rate has already lost much of its value to inflation.
National President of the union, Sheu Mohammed, said this at the association’s Southwest zonal workshop themed ‘A shift from confrontation to collaboration.’
Mohammed said preparations must begin now for the 2027 negotiations, stressing that organised labour needed credible economic data to support its demands.
‘By next year, we are going into negotiations for a new minimum wage. Any moment from now, we need to kick-start the pre-negotiation process so we have our data across the table,’ he said.
He said inflation had eroded the N70,000 wage even before its full implementation two to three years ago, leaving civil servants worse off despite their central role in the economy.
‘We are the engine room. We lubricate the economy. Unfortunately, as we are lubricating, we are also drying up,’ he said.
Mohammed added that GDP growth should be judged not by figures alone but by whether it improves workers’ disposable income, noting that rising fuel prices, now above N1,000 per litre following subsidy removal, had worsened the situation.
Minister of Labour and Employment, represented by the ministry’s Zonal Director/Controller, Southwest, Mienye Badejo, said government, labour and employers must work together to address welfare and productivity challenges.
‘As the Ministry of Labour, our mandate is to promote industrial peace through dialogue. We urge ASCSN to lead in this new era of partnership, not just protest,’ he said.