Labour Suspends Strike as Government Commits to New Minimum Wage Discussions

Members of the organised labour in Nigeria, which include the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, have decided to suspend their ongoing strike for a period of five days. This decision came after a meeting with the Federal Government in Abuja to address the issues of a new minimum wage and electricity tariff hikes.

The strike, which began on Monday, was in response to the failure of the Federal Government to approve a new minimum wage by the specified deadline of May 31. Additionally, the organised labour was protesting against the increase in electricity tariffs imposed by the government.

Following a lengthy six-hour meeting between the Federal Government and the labour leaders, a commitment was expressed by President Bola Tinubu to raise the proposed minimum wage of N60,000. As per the agreement, efforts will be made to establish a National Minimum Wage that exceeds this amount, with the Tripartite Committee scheduled to meet daily over the next week to finalize the details.

Moreover, the organised labour has agreed to immediately convene meetings of its various groups to deliberate on the new offer presented by the government. It was also emphasized that no worker would face any form of victimization for participating in the industrial action.

The agreement was officially signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, on behalf of the Federal Government. This development marks a significant step towards resolving the ongoing labour issues in the country.