There have been initial confusion concerning the position of Nigeria’s Organised Labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), over the strike action which commenced yesterday, Monday, June 3.
After the meeting between the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the Unions represented the NLC and TUC, there have been what appears to be conflicting positions.
While the TUC said it has suspended the strike embarked upon over a new minimum wage and hike in electricity tariff, the NLC said it would consult with its various organs before making a definitive pronouncement.
The Labour had after the meeting with the SGF suspended the strike for about one week.
But the TUC President, Festus Osifo announced after a joint extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the unions in Abuja on Tuesday, June 4, 2024 that the strike has been called off.
“Until we hear from our organs at our meeting scheduled for today 4th June, we are still on strike,” the NLC had said.
The NLC said this after the federal government had declared its readiness to offer higher than N60,000 national minimum wage it earlier proposed to the tripartite committee that deliberated on the issue.
The government’s decision was disclosed at a meeting of the committee convened on Monday night by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, after the Organised Labour had embarked on indefinite strike to press its demand for a new minimum wage.
In a circular jointly issued by the committee members at the end of the meeting, it was disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had expressed his commitment to a national minimum wage that is higher than N60,000
The circular read: “Arising from the above, the tripartite committee is to meet every day for the next one week with a view to arriving at an agreeable national minimum wage.
“Labour in deference to the high esteem of the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria’s commitment in above undertakes to convene a meeting of its organs immediately to consider this commitment.
“The committee also resolved that no worker will be victimised as a result of the industrial action.”
