The Labour Party in Nigeria has urged workers’ unions to renegotiate with the government on a new minimum wage rather than embarking on an industrial action. Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Lagos, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, emphasised that a strike is not the solution, as it would exacerbate existing hardships.
Ifoh stated, “Our immediate reaction is that organized labour should not throw Nigerians into more hardship. Nigerians are already grappling with a lot of challenges, and we do not need to make the situation worse. The demand for a ₦494,000 minimum wage is unrealistic. It cannot be sustained as it would mean diverting all of Nigeria’s funds to pay civil servants.”
He urged the labour unions to keep negotiating with the Federal Government to reach a mutually acceptable figure. “Negotiations should continue until a better agreement is reached. Asking Nigerian workers to stay at home will impact everything, including the cost of living, which Nigerians cannot bear at this time. Negotiation is not a one-off process. If the Federal Government is unwilling to go above ₦60,000, organized labour should work with what is available while continuing to negotiate. We recognize that this government is still finding its footing,” he added.
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Ifoh stressed that the party opposes actions that could further increase hardship. His comments come in response to the nationwide strike declared by organized labour over demands for a new minimum wage. Despite previous pleas from the Federal Government, the strike began on Monday following a series of failed negotiations between the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, and government representatives.
On May 28, labour representatives walked out of a Tripartite Committee meeting on minimum wage after the government increased its offer from ₦57,000 to ₦60,000. Initially, the government and the Organized Private Sector proposed ₦48,000, then ₦54,000, and later ₦57,000, all of which were rejected by labour. The organized labour had initially proposed ₦615,000 as the new minimum wage but later reduced it to ₦497,000 and then to ₦494,000 to reflect the current rising cost of living.
