The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed its state councils to commence an indefinite strike from December 1, 2024, in states where the new N70,000 minimum wage is not being fully implemented.
The directive was announced in a communiqué issued by NLC President Joe Ajaero following the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The NLC called on the Federal Government to reassess policies deemed anti-people, arguing that such measures have driven many Nigerians into poverty and economic hardship.
The communiqué read: “The NEC notes with deep frustration the persistent delay and outright refusal by some state governments to implement the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act. 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, mobilization and sensitization campaign, educating workers and citizens on the need to resist this assault on their dignity and rights.
“Furthermore, the NLC shall initiate a series of industrial actions in all non-compliant states and shall not relent until the minimum wage is fully implemented across Nigeria. To this end, all 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 from December 1, 2024. Nigerian workers demand justice, and justice they shall have.”
Nigerians facing economic hardship
On the worsening economic hardship, “The NEC observes, with profound concern, the accelerating economic hardship inflicted upon Nigerian citizens. Inflation continues to rise unchecked, with the costs of necessities spiralling beyond the reach of the average worker.
“Millions of Nigerians are being driven into destitution, forced to choose daily between feeding their families and seeking healthcare. Access to energy has become a mirage while workers become increasingly poorer even as they work longer hours to meet their other basic needs. As a result, nutritional diseases like Kwashiorkor and Marasmus have resurfaced in Nigeria.
“NLC demands immediate, concrete interventions from the Federal Government, not token measures, to relieve this suffering. We call for the implementation of comprehensive social protection policies that shield Nigerians from poverty, provide affordable healthcare, and ensure a wage that reflects the true cost of living. To this end, we call for a wage review across the nation including a review of all the policies that have rather emasculated Nigerian people.”
