Members of organised labour, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have temporarily suspended their strike action for five days, an NLC leader confirmed to our correspondent in Abuja.
A formal statement from the unions is expected shortly, ahead of forthcoming negotiations with the government.
The strike, initiated on Monday, was in response to the Federal Government’s failure to approve a new minimum wage by the deadline of May 31 and its refusal to reverse the recent hike in electricity tariffs.
Following a marathon six-hour meeting in Abuja on Monday night, the Federal Government conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to raising the proposed minimum wage above the current offer of N60,000.
An agreement was reached, stating, “The President of Nigeria, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, is committed to establishing a National Minimum Wage higher than N60,000; and the Tripartite Committee will convene daily for the next week to finalise an agreeable National Minimum Wage.”
In turn, organised labour has agreed to “immediately hold meetings of its organs to consider this new offer, and no worker will face victimisation as a consequence of participating in the industrial action.”
These resolutions were signed on behalf of the Federal Government by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.
