The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed workers in states that have not commenced implementing the new minimum wage to embark on an indefinite strike from December 1 this year.
The latest decision of the organized labour group was sequel to its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held over the weekend, where frustration over certain states’ non-compliance with the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act was noted to be increasingly worrisome.
In the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the NLC condemned the delays by some state governments to implement the minimum wage, describing their refusal to pay the revised wage as both a legal and moral betrayal.
It partly reads: “The NEC notes with deep frustration the persistent delay and outright refusal by some state governments to implement the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act,” the statement read, highlighting the growing hardship faced by workers denied fair compensation.
The Congress disclosed that in order to ensure full compliance with the Act, it would establish a National Minimum Wage Implementation Committee to monitor compliance and organize nationwide awareness campaigns to educate workers and citizens on the importance of upholding wage laws.
Similarly, the NLC threatened to initiate a series of industrial actions in all non-compliant states until every state meets the new wage requirements.
It further clarified: “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 the 1st day of December, 2024.”
The Congress also expressed concern over the rising price of petrol (PMS), suspecting that the ugly development in the downstream market could be a potential “gang-up” by industry players to artificially inflate prices, citing the lingering bickering between oil marketers and the Dangote Group to justify its stance
Specifically, the labour group stated that is possible that Nigerian workers and masses were being ripped off by those who control the levers of economic power in the country, adding that it suspects economic barriers might be intentionally stalling the activation of public refineries.
The Congress, therefore, urged the Federal Government to prioritize the reactivation of the domestic refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna to curb the industry’s monopolistic tendencies as well as introduce punitive measures for any act of sabotage in the downstream market to relieve the burden of surging fuel prices on Nigerian workers.
