Minimum Wage: Why Labour Can’t Continue With Strike Action, NLC President Speaks

• The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaiero, has explained why labour cannot continue with its nationwide strike at the moment
• Ajaero said NLC cannot declare strike now because the details of the minimum wage proposal are with President Bola Tinubu
• He added that the NLC's NEC will convene to discuss the new minimum wage benchmark once it is revealed by the president

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 5 years of experience covering metro and government policy

Geneva, Switzerland - The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it cannot continue with its nationwide strike over a new national minimum wage for now.

The NLC president, Joe Ajaero, said the union will postpone its planned strike action pending when a final decision is taken by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.

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Ajaero made this known at the ongoing International Labour Conference currently ongoing in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday, June 10.

He added that the tripartite committee’s proposal on the national minimum wage was awaiting Tinubu’s decision, Leadership reports.

“We cannot declare strike now because the figures are with the President.”

“During the tenure of the immediate-past President, the figure that was proposed to him was N27,000 by the tripartite committee, but he increased it to N30,000. We are hopeful that this President will do the right thing. The President had noted that the difference between N62,000 and N250,000 is a wide gulf.

According to Ajaero, the NLC’s National Executive Council (NEC) will thereafter convene to discuss the new figure once it is revealed, the Punch reports.

The NLC president also lashed out at governors calling for the decentralisation of the minimum wage.

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NLC, TUC reject N100,000 minimum wage proposal, give their reason

He said state governors should emulate Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki, who is paying N70,000 minimum wage

“Are their wages decentralized? Governors whose states are not contributing a dime to the national purse and who generate pitiable Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) are collecting the same amount as governors whose states are generating billions of dollars into the FAAC.

“They should decentralize their salaries and emoluments first."

Labour rejects Tinubu govt's N62,000 wage offer

In an earlier report by Legit.ng, organised labour on Monday, June 10, said it would not accept N62,000 or N100,000 as the new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Chris Onyeka, NLC assistant general secretary, insisted on N250,000 as minimum wage.

Proofreading by James Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng