BREAKING: NLC and TUC declare indefinite strike over minimum wage

Members of the organised labour, including the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), have embarked on an indefinite strike over the federal government’s refusal to raise the minimum wage from N60,000.

The President of the TUC Festus Osifo announced the strike at a joint news conference with the leadership of the NLC in Abuja on Friday.

The labour leader said the strike would begin by midnight on Sunday, June 2, 2024.

Osifo stated, “As you are aware, we had the last meeting preceding today, which was on Tuesday. In that meeting, they (the government) offered N60,000. They invited us for a meeting today (Friday), and we deliberated on it, thinking they were showing the necessary commitment.

“To our surprise, there was no serious representation from either the Federal Government or the state governors who are supposed to be part of the negotiations.

“So, technically, we felt they have abandoned us because they remained adamant about the N60,000 offer. Not even a kobo was added to what we rightfully rejected.”

The organised labour had once pulled out of the negotiation and rejected two Federal Government offers, the latest being N60,000. They are insisting on N497,000 as minimum wage.

Since the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira, the cost of living in Nigeria has reached new highs, heightening calls for a new minimum wage.

In the wake of the development, labour leaders have reeled out several measures including a new minimum wage, alternative modes of transportation, and others to cushion the impact of the subsidy removal.

The government later set up a committee made up of labour leaders, government officials, and the organised private sector to negotiate a new minimum wage.

Despite several meetings, the committee failed to reach a consensus, prompting the recent strike action by the labour leaders. The Federal Government is yet to comment on the TUC and NLC’s latest move.