The Organized Labour has declared that its May 31 deadline for the Federal Government to finalize the new national minimum wage process for workers is non-negotiable.
This was stated in a release following a joint emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Tuesday in Abuja.
“We need an agreement that will genuinely reflect the true value of Nigerian workers’ contributions to the nation’s development and the current crisis of survival facing Nigerians as a result of government’s policies.
“The NEC affirms its commitment to ensuring that the interests and welfare of workers are adequately protected in the negotiation process,” the statement read.
The statement, signed by NLC President Mr. Joe Ajaero and TUC President Mr. Festus Osifo, noted that the NEC had carefully discussed the issue, considering the current situation affecting Nigerian workers and the general public.
The NEC acknowledged the efforts made so far but emphasized the need to quickly reach a fair and just agreement. The organized labor also directed all state councils, where state governments have not fully implemented the N30,000 national minimum wage and its related adjustments, to issue a joint two-week ultimatum to those state governments to avoid industrial action.
Additionally, the labor unions reiterated their demands for an immediate rollback of the electricity tariff hike and the removal of the “unfair apartheid categorization into bands” to ease the suffering of Nigerian workers and citizens.
The labour unions also gave the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the federal government a May 31 deadline to meet these demands.
