Organised Labour has declared an indefinite nationwide strike from Monday, June 3rd for the failure of the federal government to conclude negotiations on a new national minimum wage and reverse the hike in the electricity tariff even as the Organised Private Sector, OPS, has condemned Labour’s decision.
Recall that Vanguard Newspaper had Friday exclusively reported that Labour, under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and its Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart, might declare a nationwide strike from Monday, June 3, if the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage failed to meet the expectations of Labour yesterday. Earlier, Organised Labour negotiators had walked out of the meeting for a third time, over the refusal by the government to make a new offer beyond N60,000. It was gathered that the negotiations hit a brick wall when the government and the organized private sector, OPS, remained adamant on the N60,000 offer they made earlier on Tuesday.
In an eight-point resolutions by the Presidents of NLC and TUC, Joe Ajaero and Festus Osifo, respectively, they lamented the continued absence of the state governors at the meeting, and also the absence of any Federal Government representative with appropriate authority to commit them to any outcome.
In an address on behalf of the two Labour centres, the TUC’s President said “NLC and TUC express grave concern and disappointment over the Federal Government’s failure to conclude and pass into Law a new National Minimum Wage Act and reverse the vexatious hike in electricity tariff to N65/kwh. Today’s meeting further demonstrated the unseriousness and apparent contempt with which the Nigerian state holds the demands of Nigerian workers and people. No Governor was present and Ministers were absent except the Minister of state for Labour and Employment who doubles as a conciliator.
“There was none present on the side of the government with appropriate authority to commit them to any outcome; in essence, the government abandoned the meeting.
“We consider this disdainful and it shows a lack of commitment to a successful National Minimum Wage negotiation exercise. You will all recall that during the last May Day celebration on the 1st of May 2024, we issued a clear ultimatum to the Federal Government, demanding the conclusion of this critical exercise by the end of the month. However, there has been no significant progress or commitment from the government towards meeting this demand.
“We also demanded a reversal of the last hike in electricity tariff to N225/kwh back to N65/kwh and stoppage of the apartheid categorization of consumers into Bands.
“We carried out a nationwide one-day protest on the 13th day of May 2024 giving the government until the last day of this month to take action but the government has not entirely shown any positive response despite the national outrage at this insensitive hike.
“Nigerian workers, who are the backbone of our nation’s economy, deserve fair and decent wages that reflect the current economic realities. It is disheartening that despite
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