The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called off the planned strike set for Tuesday, which aimed to demand a new national minimum wage.
NLC President Joe Ajaero made this announcement on Monday during the ongoing International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. According to Ajaero, the decision to suspend the strike comes as the figures proposed by the tripartite committee on minimum wage are currently under review by President Bola Tinubu.
Ajaero clarified that the figures presented include a proposal of N62,000 from the government and employers’ bodies, while labour proposed N250,000. He emphasized that labour’s acceptance of N62,000 has not been finalized.
“The tripartite committee submitted two figures to the President. Government and employers proposed N62,000 while labour proposed N250,000. We are waiting for the President’s decision. Our National Executive Council (NEC) will deliberate on the new figure when it is out,” Ajaero stated.
He added, “We cannot declare a strike now because the figures are with the President. We will wait for the President’s decision. During the tenure of the immediate past President, the figure proposed to him was N27,000 by the tripartite committee, but he increased it to N30,000. We are hopeful that this President will do the right thing.”
The NLC president also criticized the state governors under the Nigerian Governors’ Forum for rejecting the N62,000 minimum wage proposal. He questioned how any governor could claim an inability to pay, noting that some states contribute significantly more to the national purse than others.
Ajaero remarked, “How can any governor say he cannot pay? They cannot also be calling for the decentralization of the minimum wage. Are their wages decentralized? Governors whose states are not contributing a dime to the national purse and who generate pitiable Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) are collecting the same amount as governors whose states are generating billions of dollars into the FAAC. They should decentralize their salaries and emoluments first.”
He praised Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki for setting a positive example by paying a N70,000 minimum wage, suggesting that other governors should follow suit.
