NLC, TUC suspend nationwide strike – wetin go happun next?

NLC protester for Abuja airport

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Di Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and di Trade Union Congress (TUC) don call off off dia nationwide strike.

Both goment and organised labour neva reach final agreement on wetin go be di new minimum wage.

Dem no also decide on di future of di electricity tariff wey goment bin increase.

Afta di Monday meeting, di parties involved in di negotiation say dem go kontinu to hold tok-tok on di mata.

Nigeria goment say dem go consider to pay pass 60,000 naira – but dem neva sabi di final amount.

On Tuesday di TUC president Festus Osifo afta a joint extraordinary national executive council meeting of di unions say dem go explain how far.

Organised labour for Nigeria bin say dem go kontinu wit di strike despite agreement wey dem reach wit goment on Monday night.

Di unions make di announcement ontop dia official X handle.

“Until we hear from our organs for our meeting wey go hold on 4 June, we still dey on Strike,” di tweet tok.

For di agreement goment gree to pay higher dan 60,000 naira ($42) as dem bin don propose as di new minimum wage wey be double of di current 30,000 naira amount wey don dey since 2019.

Tori be say goment call di meeting to quickly respond to di nationwide strike wey ground activities all over di kontri.

Na di president of di Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, and di president of di Trade Union Congress, Festus Osifo represent organised labour for di meeting.

On di goment side, na minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, and minister of state for labour and employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha and odas – na dem also sign di agreement on behalf of di federal goment.

Di agreement say “di President of Nigeria dey committed to establishing a National Minimum Wage higher dan N60,000; and the Tripartite Committee go dey meet daily for di next week to finalize an agreeable National Minimum Wage.”

Labour also agree to “immediately hold meetings of dia organs to consider dis new offer, and no worker go face victimisation sake of say dem involve for di strike.”

On Monday di strike wey di organised labour for Nigeria declare take effect as many affiliate unions tell dia members to comply wit di nationwide strike.

Di labour pipo embark on di strike despite warning by goment say dem dey violate di law.

“Di call to industrial action dey premature, ineffectual and illegal.” Attorney General of di Federation and Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi tok inside im letter to di unions.

E say strike action dey against di order of di National Industrial Court and di tok-tok wey dey happun between dem and goment to resolve di matter.

Nigeria go into darkness just around 02:00 local time (01:00 GMT) wen union members stop pipo wey dey operate di kontri power room – dem shutdown all electricity substations.

Di Transmission Company of Nigeria confam di shutdown of di national grid for statement wey dem later release.

Di first day of di strike cripple many activities for di kontri. Thousands of passengers dey stranded for all di kontri local airports – no flight move from morning till night.

Public school students no fit go school becos dia teachers no come work.

For Kano state, North west Nigeria di case wey involve di Kano Emirate no fit hold sake of say judiciary workers no go work.

Rivers state secretariat for Southern Nigeria witness empty offices for di first time since 2015 sake of di strike.

For Lagos, Nigeria commercial city also get im share of di impact. Many goment offices no open including di port wit tori say union members stop work for Tincan island.

Labour members also block access inside di kontri national assembly for Abuja. Civil servants also no go work for many of di ministries for di contri capital.

Why labour go on strike

Di ogas of di labour unions – NLC and TUC – dey try reach agreement for new minimum wage wit federal goment.

All dia attempts to bring goment to dia level of negatiation no dey work.

Labour dey ask for 494,000 naira as minimum wage but federal goment bin tok say dem no go pay pass 60,000 naira

At first, di Nigerian goment bin dey propose to add 18,000 naira to di current 30,000 naira national minimum wage, making it 48,000 naira for di new minimum wage, according to di leadership of di organised labour.

But di labour unions no dey gree.

Which amount dey realistic for goment to pay?

Economic analyst Shaibu Idris tok say make organised labour, di private sector and goment for all levels work between 80,000 naira to 100,000 or at most 120,000 naira of minimum wage.

E say dat amount go dey fair for all parties wey dey involved for di minimum wage mata.

E further tok say di 494,000 naira wey labour dey ask for na unrealistic tin wey no sure say any organisation fit pay.

Shuaibu Idris also tok say to increase salary no be long term solution to di economic gebge wey Nigeria dey face.

“We need to look at diversity of di economy, we need look manufacturing, agriculture.”

“To increase minimum wage na to just make life better for di common man as common man life no fit better if dem no fit dey productive, we need dey more productive as a kontri”.

Shuiabu Idris add say productivity of Nigerians dey very low if we compare am to dat of Ghanaians and odas.

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