They directed all the members in the states and affiliate unions to mobilise their members to ensure that the strike was total starting midnight of June 3, 2024.
The organised labour has said its plan to commence an indefinite strike on Monday stands despite last-minute moves by the National Assembly leadership to avert the industrial action.
The representatives of organised labour on Sunday said they lacked the power to call off the strike, adding that there was no going on the industrial action on Monday.
The labour leaders, however, promised to meet internally later to discuss the appeal made by the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives to suspend the strike, in order not to compound the hardship of Nigerians.
In a last-minute effort to avert the indefinite nationwide strike organised labour had declared it would start on Monday, June 3, 2024, over the minimum wage, the leadership of the National Assembly on Sunday evening met with the leadership of organised labour at the National Assembly Complex.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen and other principal officers of the National Assembly had summoned an emergency meeting with the organised labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) with a bid to prevent the strike and return to the negotiating table.
Presidents of the NLC and TUC Comrade Joe Ajaero and Comrade Festus Osifo also attended the meeting.
SaharaReporters reported on Friday that the organised labour had declared an indefinite strike over the Federal Government’s failure to conclude and pass a new National Minimum Wage Act into law and reverse the electricity tariff hike to N65/kWh.
They directed all the members in the states and affiliate unions to mobilise their members to ensure that the strike was total starting midnight of June 3, 2024.
A statement issued after their meeting on Friday which was jointly signed by Ajaero and Osifo, said, “Today’s meeting further demonstrated the unseriousness and apparent contempt with which the Nigerian state holds the demands of Nigerian workers and people. No Governor was present and Ministers were absent except the Minister of state for Labour and Employment who doubles as a conciliator.
“There was none present on the side of the government with appropriate authority to commit them to any outcome; in essence, the Government abandoned the meeting. We consider this disdainful and show a lack of commitment to a successful National Minimum Wage negotiation exercise.
“You will all recall that during the last May Day celebration on the 1st of May 2024, we issued a clear ultimatum to the Federal Government, demanding the conclusion of this critical exercise by the end of the month. However, there has been no significant progress or commitment from the government towards meeting this demand.
“We also demanded a reversal of the last hike in electricity tariff from N225/kwh back to N65/kWh and stoppage of the apartheid categorization of consumers into Bands. We carried out a nationwide one-day protest on the 13th day of May 2024, giving the government until the last day of this month to take action but the government has not entirely shown any positive response despite the national outrage at this insensitive hike.
“Nigerian workers, who are the backbone of our nation’s economy, deserve fair and decent wages that reflect the current economic realities. It is disheartening that despite our repeated calls and the clear ultimatum issued, the government continues to neglect its responsibility to the workforce. It has rather than engage in a dialogue persistently raised its attack dogs to seek to denigrate and intimidate trade union leaders.
“It continues to remain our belief that the people ought to be the only reason for governance and nothing else. The government must therefore seek the welfare of the people at all times and refusal to put the people first compels all patriots to take the right step in assisting the government to govern well.
“The hike in electricity tariff impoverishes further the already suffering people and denies them the right to decent living. Instead of taking remedial action or engaging in a meaningful dialogue, Nigerians were visited with a barrage of the usual propaganda.
“In light of this persistent inaction, we, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), hereby issue a notice of commencement of an indefinite nationwide strike to the Federal Government.
“We reiterate that since the National Minimum Wage negotiation exercise has not been concluded and the agreed wage passed into law; the hike in electricity tariff not reversed and categorization of consumers into Bands not stopped as demanded; Nigerian workers are compelled by these failures to embark on an indefinite nationwide industrial action beginning on Monday, the 3rd of June 2024 to press home our demands.”
