✔ The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) planned a nationwide strike on December 1, 2024, but some states have withdrawn from the industrial action
✔ President Bola Tinubu has approved a new minimum wage of N70,000 in July 2024, but its implementation has been slow in many states
✔ Despite the withdrawals, the NLC has vowed to proceed with the strike in states that have not implemented the new minimum wage
✔ 13 states and FCT have not implemented the new wage structure
✔ NLC announced strike action against non-implementing states
The planned December 1 strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) may not be observed in all states as some state chapters have withdrawn from the industrial action.
While many states have agreed to pay above the N70,000 minimum wage, with Lagos and Rivers states offering the highest pay of N85,000, the implementation has largely yet to take effect.
13 states and the Federal Capital Territory have yet to begin the implementation of the new minimum wage.
Some of the affected states include Abia, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Imo, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Katsina. Others are Oyo, Sokoto, Yobe, Zamfara, Enugu states, and the FCT.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of the potential NLC strike:
Strike Status: Partial Withdrawal
States Withdrawing from Strike:
✔ Imo
✔ Sokoto
✔ Oyo
✔ Akwa Ibom
✔ Katsina
States Confirmed to Participate:
✔ Kaduna
✔ Nasarawa
✔ Zamfara
✔ Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
Here is a list of states that have pulled out of the strike:
Imo state
The NLC chairman, Uche Chigaemezu, said the state government has agreed to pay the N70,000 minimum wage, and therefore, there will be no strike.
“We cannot think of embarking on any strike because we have reached an agreement with the state government led by Governor Hope Uzodimma,” The Punch quoted him as saying.
Sokoto state
The NLC chapter in Sokoto state has also opted out of the strike after the state government approved the N70,000 minimum wage for state workers.
The secretary of the NLC in the northern state reportedly said:
“We are not joining the strike action; representatives of the labour union and the state government have signed a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of the new minimum wage.”
Oyo state
Similarly, the organised labour in Oyo state has dissociated itself from the strike, citing a good rapport with the state government.
The NLC state chairman and his Trade Union Congress counterpart, Kayode Martins and Bosun Olabiyi, respectively, said labour would not participate in the strike.
Olabiyi said:
“We are dissociating ourselves totally from the strike in the state. We have an understanding with the state government; we are not going on strike because everything is fine in this state.”
Katsina state
The NLC Chairman, Hussaini Danduna, said workers in the state will not join the strike due to an agreement signed with the state government.
“We have signed an agreement with the Katsina State Government, and based on this, we are not going to join the strike action declared by the national executive council of our union,” Danduna said.
Akwa Ibom state
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) Chairman, Dominic Abang, said public civil servants will not participate in the strike.
He added that the TUC had gone far at the committee level and there was no need to join the strike.
NLC reacts
However, the NLC has dismissed the excuses given by some state chapters, insisting that the welfare of workers must take precedence.
The NLC National Treasurer, Akeem Ambali, said labour will embark on strike in states that have not implemented the new minimum wage.
“Labour will embark on strike by midnight of the 30th of this month (November); we have mobilsed for that”, Ambali insisted.
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