A group under the aegis of the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) has urged Organized Labour to swiftly mobilize and declare a nationwide strike in response to the minimum wage issue and the recent hike in electricity tariffs.
This call to action was made in a statement by CDWR’s National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Bosah.
The group highlighted that organized labour has been in a prolonged dispute with the government and private sector over a new minimum wage, with negotiations deadlocked for over three weeks.
The CDWR emphasized that the insistence of the government and private sector on paying N60,000 led to the declaration of an indefinite strike on June 3, 2024, which was suspended on June 4, 2024.
The group has now urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) to declare and mobilize widely for a 48-hour general strike and mass protest. The goal is to demand the reversal of all anti-poor policies and to advocate for a minimum wage of at least N200,000.
It argued that “The mass protest of mostly young people has just forced the Ruto-led government in Kenya to withdraw the IMF/World Bank-inspired tax increment policy. This example shows that it is also possible for Nigerian working people and youth to force the Tinubu-led government to reverse the prices of petroleum products, electricity tariffs, fee hikes in public schools, and all other neo-liberal capitalist policies, policies which would give some immediate respite to most Nigerians.
“CDWR calls on the leadership of NLC and TUC, as the next step in the minimum wage struggle, to declare and this time mobilize widely for a 48-hour general strike and mass protest to demand a minimum wage not less than N200,000 and the reversal of all anti-poor policies (privatization, deregulation, subsidy removal, electricity tariff hike, etc).
“However, given the recent failures of the NLC and TUC to mobilize trade unionists, activists must themselves take steps to organize a campaign at the grassroots level to build support for the struggle and for the trade unions to have leaders who take their responsibilities seriously.
“Amongst the immediate demands should be the call for the inclusion of a demand that the minimum wage must be automatically adjusted in line with the rate of inflation and the rising cost of living, minimum wage need not wait for four or five years before adjustment.”
The group added that the declaration of the strike may forestall needless long negotiations and ensure wages do not fall behind the inflationary rate and poverty line.
“We should add that it will require a serious struggle to force the capitalist elite to agree to this and actually implement it as they will try to take back any concessions they have been forced to make,” it added.
