The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have decided to suspend their industrial action for one week following a lack of agreement on a new minimum wage and the increase in electricity tariff.
The decision was made after a joint extraordinary national executive council meeting of the unions in Abuja. Festus Osifo, the TUC president, confirmed the news and mentioned that the relaxation of the industrial action would take effect immediately. A formal communique will be issued later to provide more details.
The strike, which began on Monday, impacted various critical sectors of the economy, causing disruptions in schools, businesses, hospitals, and airports. Additionally, the national grid was shut down, plunging the nation into darkness.
The labour unions’ actions were a response to the expiration of the May 31 deadline for reaching an agreement on a new minimum wage. Despite negotiations with the Federal Government, no consensus was reached as labour rejected three government offers, with the latest being ₦60,000. The TUC and NLC insisted on ₦494,000 as the new minimum wage.
To halt the strike, the Federal Government engaged in lengthy discussions with the labour leaders, which included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Minister of Labour and Employment, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, the TUC president, and the NLC president.
Following the meeting, several resolutions were reached, including the government’s commitment to pay above ₦60,000 and regular meetings between the parties. It was also agreed that no worker would face victimization as a result of the industrial action.
