Labour May Continue Strike Tuesday After Rejecting N62,000 Offer, Demands N250,000

 

The Organized Labour has declared it will not accept a "starvation wage" of N62,000 or N100,000 as the minimum wage for Nigerian workers, insisting instead on N250,000 as the living wage.

This position was reiterated by Chris Onyeka, Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief show on Monday. Onyeka highlighted that the NLC had set a one-week deadline for the Federal Government, expiring at midnight on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.

Onyeka emphasized that if the Federal Government and National Assembly fail to meet workers' demands by the deadline, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) would reconvene to decide on resuming the nationwide industrial action that was temporarily paused last week.

"Our stance is clear. We have never entertained accepting N62,000 or any wage that cannot sustain Nigerian workers. We will not negotiate a starvation wage. We remain firm at N250,000, which we consider a reasonable concession given the current market realities and daily living costs," Onyeka stated.

He urged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to act promptly, stating, "Our demand is clear. The government needs to send an Executive Bill to the National Assembly, which should then legislate a National Minimum Wage Act that meets our demands. If we see no tangible response by Tuesday, the Organized Labour will decide on the next steps, including the potential resumption of the strike that was previously paused."