Critical sectors of the economy including banks, schools, power, and fuel distribution are expected to be grounded as the Labour Centres in Nigeria begin an indefinite strike over minimum wage and the recent hike in electricity tariff.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, ASSBIFI, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees, NUBIFIE among others have declared their support for the industrial action.
The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Council have announced an indefinite nationwide strike starting today due to the government’s failure to reach an agreement on a new national minimum wage and to reverse the recent increase in electricity tariffs.
During the Workers Day celebrations, NLC and TUC leaders set a May 31 deadline for the Federal Government to conclude negotiations on a new national minimum wage, warning of nationwide industrial unrest if the deadline was not met.
Despite four meetings, the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage set up by the government failed to reach an agreement. Labour leaders walked out of the meetings three times after rejecting offers from the government and the organized private sector.
The previous national minimum wage of N30,000, signed into law by former President Muhammad Buhari on April 18, 2019, expired on April 18, 2024.
On Friday, May 31, organized labour negotiators walked out of the meeting for the third time due to the government’s refusal to make a new offer beyond N60,000. The negotiations hit a deadlock when the government and the organized private sector remained firm on their N60,000 offer, which they made earlier on Tuesday.
Earlier in the negotiations, the government had increased its offer marginally to N60,000 from the N57,000 offered on Wednesday, May 22. Prior to that, on May 15, the labour negotiating team had walked out of the tripartite committee meeting after the government offered N48,000 and the organized private sector offered N54,000, while labour had proposed a higher amount.
Although the Nigeria Union of Teachers directed its members to comply with the directives of the NLC, t the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, opted out of the strike and called for dialogue and peaceful resolution of the face-off between organised labour and government.
