The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have firmly rejected the Federal Government’s proposed N62,000 minimum wage offer, raising the possibility of a resumption of nationwide industrial action.
Speaking on Channels TV’s Morning Brief on Monday, NLC Assistant General Secretary Chris Onyeka made it clear that the unions will not settle for what they consider a “starvation wage.”
“Our position is very clear, we have never considered accepting N62,000 or any other wage that we know is below what Nigerian workers can take home. We will not negotiate a starvation wage,” Onyeka stated.
He emphasized that the unions are demanding a minimum wage of N250,000, which they believe is necessary to meet the current cost of living.
Onyeka explained that the unions are driven by the realities of the marketplace and the high cost of basic goods.
“We are not just driven by frivolities but also by the realities of the marketplace—the realities of things we buy every day: bags of rice, yam, garri, and all of that,” he said.
The unions have set a deadline for the Federal Government and the National Assembly to act on their demands.
“The Federal Government and the National Assembly have the call now. It is not our call,” Onyeka asserted.
He urged the government to send an executive bill to the National Assembly to address the workers’ demands.
“If, after tomorrow, we have not seen any tangible response from the government, the organs of the organised labour will meet to decide what to do next,” Onyeka warned, indicating that the unions may remove the pause on the strike.
Last week, the labour unions suspended their strike for one week to allow for negotiations after a nationwide strike disrupted the country on Monday. Onyeka clarified that the suspension was temporary and contingent on the government’s response.
“It was clear what we said. We said we were relaxing a nationwide indefinite strike. It’s like putting a pause on it. So, if you put a pause on something and the organs that govern us as trade unions decide that we should remove that pause, it means that we go back to what was in existence before,” Onyeka explained.