Labour Strike: PDP, APC Fight Dirty Over N120,000 New Minimum Wage Proposal to Tinubu’s Govt

• The nationwide strike continues today, Tuesday, June 4, as declared by the leadership of the NLC
• Interestingly, the PDP has waded into the matter and urged organised labour to settle for a reasonable amount of N120,000 as the new minimum wage
• In a swift reaction, the APC tackled the PDP and noted that the opposition party was instigating labour against Bola Tinubu's led government

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged organised labour not to settle for anything less than N120,000 as the new minimum wage.

The nation's main opposition party maintained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's led federal government had no excuse not to pay as much.

APC fires back at PDP over minimum wage

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BREAKING: We are still on strike, NLC insists despite reaching agreement with Tinubu's FG, discloses next step

But in a swift reaction, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), whose government is proposing N60,000 as the minimum wage, described the PDP’s advice to organised labour as unpatriotic, The Punch reported.

Labour commenced a nationwide strike on Monday, June 3, over a new minimum wage and the recent hike in electricity tariff for Band A customers.

Legit.ng understands that organised labour consists of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

On Monday night, the federal government and organised labour reached an agreement on a new minimum wage that will be “above N60,000”.

The statement from the meeting was, however, silent on the duration of the strike and electricity tariff hike.

Reacting to the development, the PDP deputy national publicity secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the APC-led federal government was being insincere in its negotiation with labour.

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Tinubu agrees to pay over N60k as minimum wage, details emerge

Buttressing his point, the PDP chieftain noted that the federal government had been extravagant and so could not claim not to have funds to pay at least N120,000 as minimum wage.

Abdullahi said:

“The reasonable minimum wage Nigeria should take at this moment should be N120,000 or nothing less. If Nigerians cannot be given that as a minimum wage, then we better go on with this strike unending.”

APC blasts PDP over wage proposal to labour

Reacting, the APC publicity director, Bala Ibrahim, lambasted the opposition PDP for instigating organised labour against the government.

Ibrahim said:

“If the PDP had won the election, believe me, it would have not been a question of minimum wage, there would be no wage at all.”

NLC insists says strike continues

Legit.ng reported that organised labour on Tuesday, June 4, clarified that the ongoing nationwide strike has not been called off, contrary to reports suggesting an agreement with the federal government.

Read also

“This reality must be factored into the negotiations”: Tinubu’s govt appeals to organised labour

The NLC disclosed this in a post shared on its website and social media platform X on Tuesday, June 4.

The union tweeted: "Until we hear from Our Organs at our Meeting scheduled for today 4th June , We are still on Strike."

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng