The Organized Labour has declared that its May 31 ultimatum for the Federal Government to finalize the new national minimum wage process remains firm.
This was stated in a joint statement issued at the end of an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Tuesday in Abuja.
The statement, jointly signed by NLC President Joe Ajaero and TUC President Festus Osifo, detailed that the NEC had thoroughly discussed the issue and considered the current realities affecting Nigerian workers and the general populace.
The NEC expressed appreciation for efforts made so far but emphasized the urgency of reaching a fair and equitable agreement.
“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 organized labour also directed all state councils, whose state governments have yet to fully implement the N30,000 national minimum wage and its consequential adjustments, to issue a joint two-week ultimatum to the respective state governments to avert industrial action.
Additionally, the labour unions reaffirmed their demands for an immediate reversal of the electricity tariff hike and the “vexatious apartheid categorisation into bands to alleviate the suffering of Nigerian workers and citizens.”
The organized labour has given the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the federal government a May 31 deadline to meet these demands.
The labour unions stressed the non-negotiable nature of their demands and urged the government to prioritize resolving these issues to maintain industrial peace.
They called on all affiliate unions, workers, and Civil Society Organisations across Nigeria to remain united and steadfast in solidarity during this critical period.
