In a bid to protest against the current economic realities in Nigeria, civil society groups have urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to call a nationwide strike.
This was made known in a public statement released on Sunday, June 30, 2024, by the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR). The group issued a strong call for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to organize a nationwide strike in response to the dire economic conditions currently plaguing Nigerians.
The CDWR called on organized labor unions to broaden their efforts in the fight for an increased minimum wage, advocating for a 48-hour general strike and mass protests to demand that the government raise the minimum wage to not less than N200,000 and reverse all policies that are detrimental to the welfare of the common people. These policies include privatization, deregulation, subsidy removal, and the recent electricity tariff hikes that have imposed additional burdens on workers and the masses, further exacerbating the already dire economic situation in the country.
The statement, signed by the group National Publicity Secretary Chinedu Bosah, it reads, “The NLC and TUC have been at loggerheads with the government and private sector over a new minimum wage and negotiation has been deadlocked for over 3 weeks and still counting.
‘Government and Private Sector insistence on paying N60,000 provoked the declaration of an indefinite strike which started on June 3rd 2024 but was suspended on the 4th of June, 2024.
“The suspension was to last for five days but it does not appear that the labour leadership put in place any plan of action should the government as usual fail to meet their demands as many principal leaders proceeded on the trip to the meetings of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Switzerland.
“This is the second time the labour leadership has suspended action this year and gone to sleep. The first one was a 2-week ultimatum that was declared following the suspension of a nationwide mass protest on February 28, 2024, and lapsed on March 13, 2024.
“The strike organised on June 3, 2024, was the most effective and widely supported compared to previous strikes since 2016 even though it was not adequately mobilized”
The CDWR pointed out that during previous general strikes, the ruling capitalist elite had felt the heat as critical sectors of the economy ground to a halt, including sea ports, airports, and electricity generation. However, despite the impact of these strikes, the CDWR lamented that labor leaders appeared to have become complacent, failing to seize the moment and build on the momentum generated by the strikes. The CDWR urged the labor unions to awaken from their slumber and take swift action to address the grievances of workers and the masses
