The move is a direct reaction to the recent contentious hike in electricity rates and the fruitless negotiations with the government over the planned minimum wage.
Following the seventh unsuccessful attempt by the 37-member tripartite committee to determine a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers, the negotiations finally broke down yesterday. Organized labor expressed dissatisfaction over the government's lack of commitment and representation during the negotiation meeting.
In response to the strike announcement, the federal government said that Labour had abandoned negotiations and acting swiftly, while the next meeting has been scheduled for Monday.
Although the federal government at the meeting earlier in the week switched ground from the previous N57,000 to a new proposal of N60,000.
However, the organised labour rejected the offer even though they decreased their demand from N497,000 stance of last week to N494,000.
The federal government additionally urged organized labor to be thoughtful and patriotic in their requests for a new minimum wage through Minister of Labor and Employment Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.
But the labor unions' insistence on a living wage that reflects the current state of the economy meant that the appeal was dismissed.
Yesterday, during a press conference in Abuja to announce the strike, both the Nigerian The presidents of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and the Labour Congress (NLC), led by Comrade Joe Ajaero, declared that no substantive ministers had been presented at the reconvened conference, and as a result, there was no federal government power to make decisions.
The government's seeming indifference to the demands of Nigerian workers and lack of seriousness have further disappointed the labor unions.
Labor union leaders have pointed to the government's lack of interest in reaching a resolution in the negotiations over a new minimum wage, as seen by the absence of important government officials from the negotiations sessions.
LEADERSHIP had previously reported on how organized labor sent an ultimatum to the federal government on May 1st, 2024, bemoaning the lack of any significant advancement from the the side of the government.
Rugby in Nigeria
The ultimatum requests include reversing the increase in the energy tariff from N225/kwh to N65/kwh and concluding the minimum wage negotiations by the end of May.
But the labor movement has judged the government's response to be insufficient, even in the face of a large public uproar and a nationwide protest on May 13th against the increase in electricity tariffs.
Nigerian workers, who are the backbone of the country's economy, should be paid fairly in accordance with the current state of the economy, according to both the NLC and the TUC.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) expressed deep concern and dissatisfaction over the federal government's inability to complete and enact a new National Minimum Wage Act and reversing the exorbitant increase in electricity prices to N65/kwh.
The meeting today served as another evidence of the state of Nigeria's apparent disregard for the aspirations of its labor force and populace. With the exception of the state minister for labor and employment, who also serves as a conciliator, there was no governor in attendance and no ministers. The government effectively abandoned the conference because no one with the necessary power was there to bind them to any decision.
The ongoing We find this to be contemptuous and indicative of a lack of dedication to a fruitful national minimum wage bargaining process.
We, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), officially announce the start of an indefinite nationwide strike in response to this ongoing inaction the national government.
We reiterate that Nigerian workers are forced by these failures to begin an indefinite nationwide industrial action on Monday, June 3, 2024, to press home our demands, since the national minimum wage negotiation exercise has not been concluded and the agreed wage has not been passed into law, the increase in electricity tariff has not been reversed, and the classification of consumers into Bands has not been stopped as demanded.
They urged all affiliates, state councils, market men and women, civil society organizations, and the general public to band together and demand that the government give its citizens' welfare top priority.
Federal Authorities React
However, as stated in a statement issued by the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage members, during the most recent meeting All participants in the tripartite agreement were encouraged to submit their offers by Tuesday, May 28, 2024.
The committee stated that employers from the government and organized private sector made offers of N60,000.00 per month, a 100% increase over the current 2019 National Minimum Wage.
The Organised Labour offered an offer of N494,000 per month, which is 1,547% more than the current 2019 National Minimum Wage.
"Organized labor left the meeting during the meeting to continue further consultations before they shift grounds again," the statement stated.
The meeting saw the adoption of these resolutions, and those in attendance were the Honorable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Honorable Minister of Budget, and both the Hon. Minister of Labor & Employment and National Planning."
Afterwards, the conference was postponed to Monday, June 3, 2024.
However, once the Chairman contacted Organized Labor, they decided to convene the meeting on Friday, May 31, 2024, and all members received notices, according to the committee.
"During the discussion, Organized Labor demanded that the employers change the grounds first when they were asked to make a concession or new offer beyond the previous N494,000 per month.
The National Minimum Wage of 2019 is now at N60,000.00 per month. According to both sides, their offers were made in light of current economic conditions and non-monetary incentives from the government.
The committee claimed that after that, organized labor left the gathering.
The government also defended its offer of N60,000.00 per month during the meeting's continuation, citing non-monetary incentives and economic factors such as the following:
N35,000 pay award for all Federal employees who are paid by the Treasury.
100 billion naira would be used to buy CNG conversion kits and buses that run on the fuel.
Conditional grant of 125 billion naira and financial inclusion for MSMEs.
15 million households will get N25,000 each over the course of three months.
185 billion in palliatives, or state loans, to mitigate the impact of the elimination of fuel subsidies.
200 billion naira would be used to cultivate hectares of land in order to increase food production.
75 billion naira to support the industry of manufacturing.
One trillion naira is allocated for student loans to fund higher education.
42,000 metric tons of grains released from strategic reserves.
60,000 metric tons of rice were purchased and later distributed by the rice millers organization.
Recent increases in pay for federal employees have ranged from 25 to 35 percent across all consolidated wage systems.
90% health expense reimbursement for Federal Civil Servants who are enrolled in the NHIS.
Abuja's light rail system was put into service to reduce transportation costs through the end of the year. Lagos State had previously started the Blue and Red lines initiative.
Apart from the liberty of Federal Government employees to work in agriculture, ICT services have been authorized as additional revenue streams.
The discussion concluded with a consensus that, even in cases where both large and small firms are closing and resulting in job losses, the implementation of a new National Minimum Wage ought to be such that it prevents additional significant employment losses. It added that it was unfair to the negotiating parties to associate the walkout with increases in electricity costs based on the NMW determination.
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