- Declares Indefinite Strike From Monday
- We Cannot, Will Not Accept Any Further Delays Or Excuses
- FG Failed To Address Any Of Our Demands
After a series of negotiations, organized labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other affiliated bodies on Friday declared a national industrial action to commence on Monday, June 3, 2024.
The Matrix gathered that this decision follows the inability of the tripartite committee to address any of organized labour’s demands.
Organised labour had demanded an increase in the minimum wage payable to Nigerian workers, reversal of the electricity tariff hike for Band A customers and the stoppage of classifying customers into bands by electricity Distribution companies.
However, after several meetings between the concerned stakeholders including the federal government, organized labour and Organized Private Sector (OPS), an agreement was not reached.
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In the course of the negotiation, the federal government has proposed a minimum wage of N48,000, N54,000, and most recently, N60,000 which labour has knocked back in hand.
The organised labour had once pulled out of the negotiations while also lowering their demands from N615,000 to N494,000 as minimum wage and has indicated willingness to reduce their demands further.
Rising from the meeting on Friday, May 31, 2024, at the expiration of the deadline issued by organized labour for an agreement to be reached, organized labour declared a nationwide strike beginning from Monday, June 3rd, 2024.
In a joint statement announcing the industrial action on Friday, the labour unions said it is disheartening that the government has neglected its responsibility to the workforce despite repeated calls and warnings.
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“In light of this persistent inaction, we, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), hereby issue a notice of commencement of an indefinite nationwide strike to the Federal Government,” the statement reads.
“We reiterate that since the national minimum wage negotiation exercise has not been concluded and the agreed wage passed into law, the hike in electricity tariff not reversed and categorization of consumers into Bands not stopped as demanded; Nigerian workers are compelled by these failures to embark on an indefinite nationwide industrial action beginning on Monday, the 3rd of June, 2024 to press home our demands.
“The NLC and TUC are united in this cause, and we call on all our affiliates and state Councils, Civil Society Organizations, market men and women and the general populace to prepare for a decisive action. We cannot and will not accept any further delays or excuses.”
