Labour: We’ll embark on strike if new wage not approved May 31

The Organised Labour has vowed to cripple all activities across Nigeria should the Federal Government fail to conclude negotiations on a new minimum wage by the end of May 2024.

This was contained in a May Day address read by Presidents of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero and Comrade Festus Osifo, respectively, at the Workers’ Day celebration in Abuja on Wednesday, May 1.

The duo, who placed their members on an alert to ensure the process was not sabotaged, noted that after placing an offer of N615,000 as a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers, labour was still awaiting a counter-offer from the government, represented by the National Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee.

They said: “Comrades, we want to inform you that the process of fixing a new national minimum wage is still continuing. All the parties in the tripartite process are well represented and the engagement has been robust. We have placed our demand of N615,000 before our social partners while we await their offer.

“Placed before them also is our demand that the new act shall have a two-year life with an agreement for automatic adjustment in wages any time inflation exceeds 7.5 per cent.

“We have also demanded that every employer with up to five workers in his employ shall pay the new minimum wage and have also asked for the strengthening of monitoring and compliance mechanisms to penalise non-complying state governments.

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“We have done this with the understanding that Nigerian workers deserve to have a national minimum wage that approximates a living wage.

“We want to be able to buy rice, beans, bread, housing, clothes, pay school fees, medicare, and pay electricity bills, among others. any wage that is below the living wage condemns workers to starvation and we are sure that our social partners would not want that.

“However, it is important that we urge every worker around the nation to remain vigilant as this process winds to an end.

“We must not let our guards down but be at alert so that together. We can assist government take the right decision and pay workers a living wage as promised by President Bola Tinubu during his inaugural speech. We will not allow other interests to sabotage the desire of the president concerning a living wage for workers.

“If however, the negotiation of the National Minimum wage is not concluded by the end of May, the Trade Union Movement in Nigeria will no longer guarantee industrial peace in the country.”

The TUC President who further clarified Labour’s position said: “If by the end of the month, nothing is done, we are going to push. You know we have several tools that can be used to compel them to do what is needed.

“We encourage the vice president to compel the committee to meet as early as tomorrow let us conclude this work.

“We have had a public hearing they said it’s a survey that they want to go around and come up with a survey but a week or two is enough for them to have come up with a survey not even a month  plus.”

The Star