The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have called for an indefinite strike beginning Monday, June 3, after failing to reach an agreement with the government on a new minimum wage.
The organised labour unions said on May 1 that they would strike if a new minimum wage was not agreed upon by the end of May.
“Government refused to move forward, not even a kobo was added to the 60,000 naira that they proposed on Tuesday and we rightly rejected,” the unions said in a statement.
They said that government representatives did not show up for a meeting on Friday to discuss the problem after the unions rejected an earlier proposal.
The NLC and TUC stated that the strike will continue until a new minimum wage was implemented. They also urged that an increase in electricity tariffs implemented last month be reversed.
In April, the electrical regulator raised charges for the wealthiest consumers, who use the most power, as the government attempts to wean the economy off subsidies in order to relieve fiscal pressures.
President Bola Tinubu removed subsidy on fuel and loosened currency trading restrictions, resulting in more than a tripling of gas prices. Africa’s most populous country is currently facing a cost-of-living problem, exacerbated by the highest inflation rate in nearly three decades.
NLC and TUC have pressed Tinubu to provide relief to people and small companies after eliminating the fuel subsidy, which kept petrol cheap but cost the government $10 billion last year.
