The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed its members in states that are yet to commence the implementation of the new minimum wage to commence an indefinite strike, beginning from December 1, 2024.
This decision was made after the NEC meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Friday last week.
In a communique signed by the NLC president, Comrade Joe Ajaero on Sunday, the labour centre expressed frustration over certain states’ ongoing delays or outright refusals to implement the 2024 Minimum Wage Act, terming this as a violation of workers’ rights and a breach of the law.
The communique said the strike order applies to all state councils where the minimum wage has yet to be fully implemented by November 30, 2024.
The directive was also part of broader resolutions that addressed the challenges facing Nigerian workers, including increasing economic hardship, rising costs of living, and issues within critical industries.
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The NEC lamented that inflation has worsened living conditions nationwide, pushing essential goods and services out of reach for the average worker and causing a resurgence of malnutrition-related diseases.
Given these economic difficulties, the NLC demanded a full wage review and immediate governmental interventions to alleviate citizens’ suffering.
During the meeting, the NLC also raised concerns about Nigeria’s energy and fuel sectors. It called for transparency in fuel pricing and urgent measures to bring domestic refineries online to reduce the country’s dependence on monopolistic market forces that allegedly drive up petrol costs.
In Rivers State, the NEC condemned the ongoing political tensions, particularly recent actions aimed at withholding federal revenue allocations, which it warned could disrupt the state’s ability to fulfil obligations to workers and citizens.
The NLC urged all parties to prioritise stability and ensure access to resources without political interference.
The NLC acknowledged the federal government’s recent provision of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses for transportation relief but noted that these were insufficient given the high demand and the limited CNG infrastructure nationwide. It called for expanded efforts to address these shortcomings and reduce workers’ commuting costs.
The communique reads in parts, “This betrayal by certain governors and government officials across the country flies in the face of both legality and morality, as workers continue to be denied their rightful wages amidst rising economic hardship.
It is a blatant disregard for the law and the lives of millions of Nigerian workers, who are being exploited by the very leaders sworn to protect them”.
“The NEC, therefore, resolves to set up a National Minimum Wage Implementation Committee that will, among others, commence a nationwide assessment, mobilisation and sensitisation campaign, educating workers and citizens on the need to resist this assault on their dignity and rights.
Furthermore, the NLC shall initiate industrial actions in all non-compliant states and shall only relent once the minimum wage is fully implemented across Nigeria.
To this end, all NLC state Councils where the National Minimum Wage has not been fully implemented by the last day of November 2024 have been directed to proceed on strike beginning on the 1st day of December 2024. Nigerian workers demand justice, and justice they shall have. “