NASS, Labour meeting deadlocked, strike kicks off June 3- organized labour

The organised labour movement has insisted that the nationwide strike will start on Monday, June 3, 2024, after their last-minute meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly (NASS) ended in a deadlock.

Persecondnews reported that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Tajudeen Abbas, had summoned a meeting with the union leaders in a last minute effort to avert the planned strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

They convened the meeting to prevent a nationwide strike, which they warned would have devastating consequences for the public and the economy.

Persecondnews recalls that the National Assembly leadership organised a four-hour mediation session on Sunday evening to help resolve the ongoing standoff between the Federal Government and Labour.

Labour’s stance comes after negotiations with the Federal Government reached an impasse over the implementation of a new national minimum wage and the controversial electricity tariff increase.

Emerging from the meeting, the President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo, and his counterpart in the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, said: “For now, we don’t have the power to call off the strike; tomorrow morning, the strike will kick off as we take their plea asking us to call off the strike to our various organs.”

Labour unions demanded a new minimum wage, saying ₦30,000 is inadequate, and many governors have not paid the expired wage.

They seek a review, as mandated by the 2019 Act, to reflect current economic realities.

Labour had set a May 31 deadline for the new minimum wage and, upon its expiration, declared a nationwide strike starting June 3, 2024, over unresolved wage and electricity tariff issues.

Negotiations with the government broke down as labour refused three government proposals, including a final offer of ₦60,000.

The TUC and NLC withdrew from the talks, insisting on a minimum wage of ₦497,000.