The organized labour made up of Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC, has justified its industrial action. The labour stated that Nigerians, especially workers, were living on the edge of collapsing economy.
Recall that on May 31, the workers’ organs in the country declared a nationwide strike beginning on Monday, June 3, 2024. This was precipitated by the Federal Government tripartite Committee’s inability to agree on a new minimum wage and reversal of the electricity tariff hike.
However, on Tuesday, after meeting with the Federal Government the organized labour decided to suspend the strike for five days. This is to give room for further negotiation with the Federal Government.
The union said the current minimum wage of ₦30,000 could no longer cater to the well-being of an average Nigerian. Labour also lamented that not all the Governors are paying the current wage award which expired in April 2024. This is coming five years after the Minimum Wage Act of 2019 was signed by former president Muhammadu Buhari.
According to Labour, the Federal Government was offering workers “slave wage amidst excruciating hardship.”
The union also lamented the runaway inflationary trend that have marked that unprecedented food inflation of 40%. The general inflation of 33% have left Nigerians especially workers currently living just on the edge.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that Nigerians especially workers are currently living just on the edge,” Labour stated.
“In addition to the historicity of slave wages marked by the continued downturn in the national economy, massive devaluation of the Naira, removal of government subsidies, increase in taxation, astronomical hike of the tariff of critical utilities and the combo siege of collapsed public infrastructure and insecurity all over the country, life has become a Hobbesian reality in Nigeria – short, nasty and brutish.
“While the Federal Government offers a very paltry sum which in real inflation and Naira value is far below the current national minimum wage. In one word, backward increase of the national minimum wage government has shown a huge appetite for profligacy,” Labour lamented.
source: Channels TV
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