In a crucial meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly in Abuja that stretched over four hours, the Organised Labour in Nigeria reasserted their intent to proceed with the planned nationwide strike set to commence today, Monday, June 3, 2024. While the National Assembly representatives sought to prevent the industrial action, the discussions ended without the desired resolution.
Festus Osifo, President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), clarified on behalf of the unions that they do not hold the mandate to abort the strike. They will rather relay the National Assembly’s plea to their broader membership.
At the core of the labour unions’ demands is the establishment of a new minimum wage set at N494,000 and the revocation of the recently increased electricity tariff rates. Attempts by notable figures such as Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to dissuade the strike proved unsuccessful.
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The labour unions argue that the current minimum wage of N30,000 is untenable, noting non-compliance by several governors with the wage law that lapsed in April 2024. Both the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the TUC had proposed a May 31 deadline for the government to act on these issues. With no accord reached, the strike action was declared to commence as scheduled.
