Strike may end soon as FG, labour reach agreement on new minimum wage

The Federal Government is willing to raise the new minimum wage beyond ₦60,000 and organised labour may end its strike soon.

In a bid to resolve the issues that led to the strike which affected business activities in various sectors, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, summoned the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to an emergency meeting at his office in Abuja.

At the end of the six-hour meeting on Monday, June 3, 2024, the representatives of the government expressed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to raising the ₦60,000 minimum wage offer.

After extensive deliberations, both parties agreed to resolve the impasse as Akume read out the resolutions.

It was agreed that “the President of Nigeria, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, is committed to establishing a National Minimum Wage higher than ₦60,000; and the Tripartite Committee will convene daily for the next week to finalize an agreeable National Minimum Wage.”

The organised labour also agreed to “immediately hold meetings of its organs to consider this new offer, and no worker would face victimisation as a consequence of participating in the industrial action.”

The resolutions were 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 while Joe Ajaero, and Festus Osifo signed for the NLC and the TUC respectively.

With this development, it is hoped that organised labour will call off its strike soon.

Meanwhile, the NLC has said the ongoing strike won't be called off until it hears from its organs at a meeting holding at 4 pm on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.