NLC, TUC Suspends Minimum Wage Strike For Five Days

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Tuesday suspended their strike for five days.

A top official of the NLC told newsmen that the nationwide strike has been “relaxed for a few days”.

The unions are expected to issue a statement before starting negotiations with the government.

The strike, which began on Monday, June 3, was in protest of the Federal Government’s failure to approve a new minimum wage by May 31 and to reverse the increase in electricity tariffs.

The federal government had proposed a monthly minimum wage of up to N60,000, but labour rejected it, demanding ₦494,000 due to the high cost of living in Nigeria.

After a six-hour meeting on Monday night, the Federal Government expressed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to raising the minimum wage above N60,000.

The agreement stated, “The President of Nigeria, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, is committed to establishing a National Minimum Wage higher than N60,000; and the Tripartite Committee will convene daily for the next week to finalise an agreeable National Minimum Wage.”

The unions also agreed to “immediately hold meetings of its organs to consider this new offer, and no worker would face victimisation as a consequence of participating in the industrial action.”

These resolutions were signed on behalf of the Federal Government by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.

KanyiDaily recalls that 32 unions had shut down their workplaces following the directive of the NLC and the TUC to start an indefinite nationwide strike.