Nationwide Strike Looms as Labour Urged to Act on Delayed Minimum Wage

The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) has called on Organized Labour to immediately mobilize and declare a nationwide strike over the minimum wage and the recent hike in electricity tariffs.

According to CDWR, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) should declare and mobilize for a 48-hour general strike and mass protest. They demand a minimum wage of at least ₦200,000 and the reversal of all anti-poor policies, including privatization, deregulation, subsidy removal, and electricity tariff hikes.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Bosah, CDWR noted that negotiations between NLC, TUC, the government, and the private sector have been deadlocked for over three weeks. The government and private sector’s insistence on a ₦60,000 minimum wage prompted an indefinite strike starting on June 3, 2024, which was suspended the next day.

“The suspension was supposed to last for five days, but there seems to be no plan of action from the labour leadership if the government fails to meet their demands. Many principal leaders traveled to International Labour Organization (ILO) meetings in Switzerland instead. This is the second time this year that labour leadership has suspended action without a clear plan,” said Bosah.

The strike on June 3 was the most effective and widely supported since 2016, shutting down major sectors of the economy, including sea and airports and electricity. However, labour leaders did not build on this momentum, allowing the capitalist ruling elite more time to maneuver and recover.

Bosah criticized the labour leaders for prioritizing international meetings over domestic mobilization, arguing that they could have sent a smaller delegation to Europe while continuing to campaign in Nigeria.

“The struggle for a living wage is a crucial aspect of the unfair capitalist system. The ruling elite, government, and private sector employers will continually resist a genuine living wage for workers. Weak Nigerian capitalism relies on low wages, hence the resistance to a living wage,” Bosah added.

He highlighted the urgency of the situation, citing high inflation and rising living costs. The inflation rate is 33.95%, and the prices of basic food items have skyrocketed. In this economic hardship, the government and private sector’s proposal of a ₦60,000 minimum wage is insufficient.

Government representatives argue against a living wage, claiming it is unsustainable, while politicians enjoy extravagant lifestyles. The National Assembly, for example, spent ₦57.6 billion on 360 SUVs in October 2023.

Bosah called for the labour movement to take inspiration from recent protests in Kenya, where mass protests forced the government to withdraw tax increment policies. He urged the NLC and TUC to declare and mobilize for a 48-hour general strike and mass protest.

He also called for the inclusion of a demand that the minimum wage be automatically adjusted in line with inflation and living costs, to avoid lengthy negotiations and ensure wages do not fall behind the inflationary rate and poverty line.

Finally, Bosah emphasized the need for the labour movement to build a pan-Nigerian democratic and working people’s political party on a socialist programme to defeat the capitalist ruling elite and plan the economy for the benefit of the majority.