By Seyi Babalola
The Organized Labour said its May 31 deadline for the Federal Government to complete the new national minimum wage setting procedure for workers remains in place.
This was said in a statement published at the conclusion of a combined emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to a statement signed by Mr Joe Ajaero, NLC President, and Mr Festus Osifo, President of TUC, organized labour stated that its NEC had extensively debated on the subject and taken into account contemporary realities as they impact Nigerian workers and the general public.
Labour explained that NEC thanked the efforts made thus far, but stressed the urgency of reaching a fair and equitable agreement.
“We need an agreement that will genuinely reflect the true value of Nigerian workers’ contributions to the nation’s development and the current crisis of survival facing Nigerians as a result of government’s policies.
“The NEC affirms its commitment to ensuring that the interests and welfare of workers are adequately protected in the negotiation process,” the statement read.
Similarly, the organized labour ordered all state councils, whose state governments were yet to fully implement the N30,000 national minimum wage and its consequential adjustments to immediately issue a joint two-week ultimatum to the culpable state governments to avert industrial action.
It also reaffirmed its demands for an immediate reversal of the electricity tariff hike and the “vexatious apartheid categorisation into bands to alleviate the suffering of Nigerian workers and citizens”.
Labour also gave the National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, and the federal government May 31 ultimatum to meet the demands.
The organized labour stressed the non-negotiable nature of the demands and urged the government to prioritize the resolution of the issues in the best interest of industrial peace.
It called on all affiliate unions, and workers, including Civil Society Organisations across Nigeria, to remain united and steadfast in solidarity during the critical period.
