Despite a last-minute intervention by the National Assembly, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have decided to proceed with their planned nationwide strike on June 3.
The unions are protesting over the hike in electricity tariffs and the unresolved issue of a new minimum wage.
On Sunday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas convened an urgent meeting with union leaders in a bid to prevent the strike. NLC President Joe Ajaero and TUC President Festus Osifo led their teams to the discussions, which lasted over four hours.
After the meeting, Osifo briefed journalists, revealing that the Senate President had appealed to the unions to call off the strike. However, the union leaders stated that they could not make such a decision without consulting their members.
“There was an appeal from the Senate President for us to call off the industrial action tonight. But on our part, we said that we had heard him. It is not possible for us to sit here and call off any industrial action because there are conditions and precedents given to us by our NEC,” Osifo explained.
He added, “We would have been much happier if this evening we had a great understanding that by tomorrow morning we would sign off on issues bordering on the minimum wage. We have listened to them; we would take all their pleas to our organs, and we would have an organ’s meeting, taking what they have promised and the pleas that they have made to our organs.”
The union leaders reiterated that the strike would continue as planned while they discussed the government’s proposals with their respective bodies.
The NLC and TUC had declared the strike on Friday, citing the federal government’s refusal to raise the minimum wage from N60,000. Initially, the unions proposed N615,500 as the minimum wage, arguing that the high cost of living necessitated such an increase. The government countered with a series of offers, starting at N48,000, then increasing to N54,000, and finally to N60,000, all of which the unions rejected as insufficient.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Speaker Abbas expressed gratitude to the union leaders for attending the meeting and reiterated his appeal for them to reconsider the strike.
“We appealed to the organized labour to see reason with the government and shelve the planned industrial action. I also reiterated my stand that the government could eradicate corruption in public offices by paying the workers a ‘living wage.’ But we must admit that the government cannot fix all the perennial issues concerning wages and salaries all at once,” he wrote.
Earlier on Sunday, the National Assembly had issued a statement announcing its intention to mediate between the federal government and the unions.
The lawmakers called for a “mutually acceptable resolution” and urged patience and cooperation from all stakeholders.
“The National Assembly Leadership and the Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Labour, Employment, and Productivity are looking to engage both parties in constructive dialogue and explore a variety of solutions in addressing the issues at hand. The 10th National Assembly is committed to ensuring that the interests of all parties are fairly represented” the statement read.