NLC issues December 1 deadline for new minimum wage implementation, accuses fuel marketers of exploitation

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has set a December 1, 2024 deadline for state governments to implement the newly approved minimum wage, warning of nationwide strikes if the directive is ignored.

This ultimatum follows a National Executive Council meeting where the NLC reviewed the impact of economic policies on Nigerian citizens and highlighted the slow adoption of the wage increase approved by President Bola Tinubu in July, which raised the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000.

The NLC’s communique emphasized the urgent need for an economic policy review, labeling certain measures as “anti-people” and accusing fuel marketers of unjustly inflating petrol prices, further burdening Nigerians who are already grappling with hardship. The union contends that the pump price for petrol is far above its actual market value, a discrepancy it claims is exacerbating suffering and poverty.

In response, the NLC directed its state councils to prepare for an indefinite strike beginning December 1 in states where the new minimum wage is not implemented.

While some states have made progress in adjusting to the wage increase, others lag behind, prompting the NLC’s firm stance to ensure compliance and address the ongoing labor concerns affecting millions of Nigerian workers and their families.

“Furthermore, the NLC shall initiate a series of industrial actions in all non-compliant states and shall not relent until the minimum wage is fully implemented across Nigeria.

“To this end, all state councils where the national minimum wage has not been fully implemented by the last day of November 2024 have been directed to proceed on strike beginning from the 1st day of December 2024.

“Nigerian workers demand justice, and justice they shall have,” the communique read.