Nigerians have once again been caught in the web of confusion as rumours of another nationwide strike by the Organised Labour begins to surface.
The Organised Labour had called off the minimum wage strike which took place on Monday, June 3, for five days.
Basically, this was to allow the Federal Government reach an agreement with them.
However, the Federal Government played a fast one on the unions.
Nigerians were not surprised, because when they were told the details of the agreement which the Organised Labour signed, they knew that something was off.
Words Of Hope
The Organised Labour via the president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), had brought words of hope to Nigerians, to calm their boiling rage.
The president of the TUC, Festus Osifo told Nigerians that the unions will not accept any little addition to the proposed 60,000 naira.
From the events of that day, Nigerians had already known the outcome.
Many even started predicting via their social media handles.
Lo and behold, after days of back and forth negotiations, Nigerians received a news that left them feeling like prophets.
Is Labour Calling Another Strike?
That news was that the Federal Government proposed to add 2,000 naira to the 60,000 naira making the minimum wage 62,000 naira.
Now, the five days ultimatum is almost over and Nigerians do not know what to expect.
Questions like is Labour calling another strike? have started surfacing online.
You see, Nigerians are yet to forget what they went through during the strike day.
Many people are no longer willing to go through that pain, especially after the Organised Labour disappointed them.
Nigerians were fully prepared to bear the consequences of the strike action and make a statement.
However, the Organised Labour killed that morale when they signed that shady agreement with the Federal Government.
Strike Looms
There are talks of a possible strike as the President Tinubu-led government is yet to propose a substantial amount for the new minimum wage.
The Organised Labour has insisted that it will reject any proposal of ₦62,000 or ₦100,000 as a “starvation wage” for Nigerian workers.
The Labour’s latest demand of ₦250,000 as the living wage for the average Nigerian worker was reiterated during the last meeting of the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage.
An Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Chris Onyeka, appeared on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief show on Monday.
Our Position Is Clear
During the show, he reiterated the organization’s stance, stating, “Our position is very clear”.
Onyeka stated that the one-week grace period extended to the Federal Government last Tuesday, June 4, 2024, would end by midnight on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
Also Read: Strike: 3 Things Every Nigerian Must Do Before June 12
He emphasized that if the Federal Government and National Assembly fail to address the workers’ demands by Tuesday, June 11, the NLC and TUC organs will convene to determine the resumption of the nationwide industrial action that was suspended last week.
The NLC Official said, “We have never considered accepting ₦62,000 or any other wage that we know is below what we know is able to take Nigerian workers home.
Starvation Wage
“The unions will not negotiate a starvation wage. We have never contemplated ₦100,000 let alone of ₦62,000.”
“We are still at ₦250,000, that is where we are, and that is what we considered enough concession to the government and the other social partners in this particular situation.
The unions are not just driven by frivolities but the realities of the market place; realities of things we buy every day: bag of rice, yam, garri, and all of that.”
“The Federal Government and the National Assembly have the call now. It is not our call.
NLC’s Demands
“Our demand is there for them (the government) to look at and send an Executive Bill to the National Assembly.
The National Assembly to look at what we have demanded, the various fact of the law, and then come up with a National Minimum Act that meets our demands.”
“If that does not meet our demand, we have given the Federal Government a one-week notice to look at the issues and that one week expires tomorrow (Tuesday).
If after tomorrow, we have not seen any tangible response from the government, the organs of the Organised Labour will meet to decide on what next.”
The sad reality is that Nigerians May need to start preparing for another strike.
Another thing is that this strike might extend beyond just a day as the Organised Labour may have learnt their lessons.
