NLC Declares Nationwide Strike Over Failed Implementation of Minimum Wage
Effective December 1, the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) has announced a statewide strike in states where the 2024 National Minimum Wage has not been implemented.
In a communique signed by NLC President, Joe Ajaero, the decision was reached during the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held Friday in Port Harcourt, the River State Capital.
The current action is intended to push for immediate compliance with the minimum wage law, which many state governments have yet to enforce.
In preparation for the strike, the NLC has announced the creation of a National Minimum Wage Implementation Committee tasked with educating workers on their rights under the new law and mobilizing support across affected states.
The Congress also said that the strike action is not just about enforcing the law, but about ensuring that Nigerian workers can maintain a basic standard of living amid rising costs.
The NLC called on all state councils to adhere to the December 1 deadline, vowing to intensify the strike in states that fail to meet the wage requirements.
“The NEC notes with deep frustration the persistent delay and outright refusal by some state governments to implement the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act.
This betrayal by certain governors and government officials across the country flies in the face of both legality and morality, as workers continue to be denied their rightful wages amidst rising economic hardship.
It is a blatant disregard for the law and the lives of millions of Nigerian workers, who are being exploited by the very leaders sworn to protect them.
“The NEC therefore resolves to set up a National Minimum Wage Implementation Committee that will among others commence a nationwide assessment, mobilization, and sensitization campaign, educating workers and citizens on the need to resist this assault on their dignity and rights. Furthermore, the NLC shall initiate a series of industrial actions in all non-compliant states and shall not relent until the minimum wage is fully implemented across Nigeria.
To this end, all state Councils where the National Minimum Wage has not been fully implemented by the last day of November 2024 have been directed to proceed on strike beginning from the 1st day of December 2024. Nigerian workers demand justice, and justice they shall have,” it declared.
The strike is expected to affect public sector operations in several states, as the NLC has promised to remain unrelenting in its efforts to secure fair and reasonable pay for all workers.
