According to NLC, the failure to enforce the new minimum wage is a flagrant violation of the law and the lives of millions of Nigerian workers, who are being taken advantage of by the very leaders who have vowed to defend them.
Members Are Instructed By NLC To Embark On Their Strike Due To The Non-Implementation Of Minimum wage.
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in states that have not yet implemented the new minimum wage have been instructed to go on indefinite strike starting on December 1, 2024.
The directive is part of the resolutions of the NLC after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the weekend.With great annoyance, the NEC observes that certain state governments have consistently delayed or flatly refused to implement the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act. Legality and morality are at odds with this betrayal by some governors and government officials nationwide, as workers continue to be denied their due wages in the face of growing economic hardship. Both the law and the lives of millions of Nigerian workers are being flagrantly disregarded by the very leaders who have sworn to protect them.
In order to educate workers and citizens on how to fight back against this attack on their rights and dignity, the NEC decides to establish a National Minimum Wage Implementation Committee, which will, among other things, start a nationwide assessment, mobilisation, and sensitisation campaign. In addition, the NLC will launch a number of industrial actions in all states that do not comply with the minimum wage and will not give up until it is fully enforced throughout Nigeria.Therefore, it has been mandated that all state councils that have not fully implemented the National Minimum Wage by the end of November 2024 go on strike starting on December 1st, 2024. The NLC statement stated, in part, that Nigerian workers “demand justice, and they shall have it.”
The NLC has also charged petroleum marketers with manipulating the pump price of petrol, claiming that it is much higher than its true market value.According to the NLC, petrol marketers are taking advantage of Nigerians and exacerbating their already severe economic hardships.
“The shenanigans surrounding the appropriate pricing of petrol (PMS) in Nigeria were noted with growing dismay by the NEC-in-session. Given that the product’s current price is much higher than its true market value, it was noted that there might be a gang up against Nigerians by fat cats in the industry.
Given the disclosures from the ongoing dispute between the Dangote Group and marketers, padding of costs and abnormal margins appears to be the norm. The domestic public refineries might not be permitted to start up right away because it is quite possible that the people in charge of Nigeria’s economic power are robbing the country’s workers and masses.The NLC calls for the public domestic refineries in PH, Warri, and Kaduna to swiftly reopen in order to break the monopolistic hold that the major players have on the market. It also demands that petrol prices be set appropriately.
Regarding the nation’s deteriorating economic circumstances, the NLC stated that its NEC is deeply concerned about the growing economic suffering being inflicted on Nigerians.It pointed out that among other things, the cost of basic necessities is skyrocketing beyond the means of the typical worker, and inflation is still rising unchecked.
The NLC called on the federal government to alleviate this suffering immediately and with tangible solutions rather than just token actions.”We demand the adoption of all-encompassing social protection laws that protect Nigerians from poverty, offer reasonably priced medical care, and guarantee a salary that corresponds to the actual cost of living. In order to achieve this, we demand that all wages be reviewed nationwide, along with all policies that have emasculated Nigerians.
