NLC, TUC Suspend Strike, Resume Negotiations With Federal Government Over Minimum Wage

The Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) announced on Monday that there won't be any strike on Tuesday over the minimum wage negotiation, as they were currently in talks with the federal government.

However, organized labor noted that if the government and national assembly fail to meet the demand, then there will be a strike, as per Assistant General Secretary of the NLC Chris Onyeka.

Nigerian workers, represented by the NLC and TUC, paused their strike for a week to resume talks with the government about the minimum wage. The labor unions gave the government a one-week deadline, which ends at midnight on Tuesday.

During the last meeting of the Tripartite Committee on New Minimum Wage held in Abuja last Friday, labor lowered the demand from N494,000 to N250,000. The federal government, on the other hand, raised its offer from N60,000 to N62,000. At that time, the government representatives said they would discuss this new figure with President Bola Tinubu for approval.

It is the job of the Tripartite Committee, created on Jan. 30 by the federal government, to advise and suggest a national minimum wage that fits Nigeria's economy in the current conditions.

"The federal government and the National Assembly have the call now. Our demand is clear: the government must review it, send an Executive Bill to the National Assembly, and enact a National Minimum Wage Act that meets our expectations," Onyeka said, Premium Times reported.

"If our demand is not met, the one-week notice we issued will expire tomorrow. If we do not receive a tangible response by then, the organs of organized labor will meet to decide our next steps."

The NLC official further said that the labor union was firmly against accepting "starvation wages" such as N62,000 or N100,000, adding that their demand continued for N250,000.

"We have never considered accepting N62,000 or any wage below a liveable standard. We will not negotiate a starvation wage. Our demand stands at N250,000, which we believe is a reasonable concession considering the current economic realities and the cost of essential goods," he said.

Earlier this month, the federal government decided to increase the minimum wage from N30,000 to more than N60,000.