The Organised Labour has decided to suspend its ongoing indefinite strike action for a period of one week. This decision was made during a joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC). The move comes following a tentative agreement reached between the Federal Government and the Organised Labour regarding the new national minimum wage.
The agreement, reached on Monday night, entails further engagement between the two parties over the next week at the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage. The Federal Government has assured the Labour leaders of its commitment to paying a new monthly minimum wage that exceeds the initial offer of N60,000. The meeting was convened by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, after the Organised Labour withdrew from the negotiation table.
Earlier on Monday, members of the NLC and TUC had embarked on an indefinite nationwide strike to demand a new national minimum wage and the reversal of the recent electricity tariff hike. This strike had a significant impact on both public and private sectors across the country.
The outcome of the meeting between the Federal Government and Organised Labour resulted in a four-point resolution that aims to put an end to the ongoing industrial dispute. The resolutions include the commitment of the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, to a national minimum wage higher than N60,000. The Tripartite Committee will meet daily over the next week to reach an agreeable minimum wage. The Organised Labour has also pledged to convene a meeting of its organs to consider this commitment. Importantly, no worker will face victimization as a result of the strike action.
While the strike action has been temporarily suspended, the progress made in the negotiations between the Federal Government and Organised Labour indicates a positive direction towards resolving the issues surrounding the minimum wage and electricity tariff hike. The coming week will be crucial as both parties continue their discussions in the pursuit of a fair and satisfactory outcome.
