Minimum Wage: Labour Declares Nationwide Strike Monday

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Organised Labour under the auspices of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) has resolved to commence nationwide industrial action by midnight Sunday to protest the non-resolution of the disagreement on a new national minimum wage.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday on the stalemated negotiation on the new minimum, the leadership of NLC and TUC described the attitude of the Federal Government to the talks as unserious.

TUC President Festus Osifo, who read the resolution of the labour movement, said that there was poor representation of the Federal Government team at the resumed meeting on Friday despite the sensitiveness of the issues at stake.

He said that a lean government side led by the Minister of State, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, only came to insist on N60,000 proposal for the new minimum wage already rejected by labour.

Osifo said that based on the mandate given to the leadership of the organised labour by their organs, there was nothing else to do other than to declare an indefinite strike to bring government to order.

“If you could remember, we had a National Executive Council meeting of the NLC, as well as the TUC, where we were further charged that the leadership should take charge and take all actions to call government to order at the expiration of the ultimatum. 

“Today is May 31, 2024 and this night the ultimatum expires. So we hereby declare the commencement of a nationwide industrial action effective from Monday, June 3rd, 2024 and this strike shall be indefinite. The strike shall be on untill we have a new national minimum wage and until government is serious and the increase in electricity tariff is reversed. 

“We are united on this and we believe this is the way forward,” he said.

According to him, organised labour believed that this is the time to stand in solidarity with the working class because they have been battered and have been downtrodden “the way they have been treated from May 29 till date”. 

Details later…

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