A minimum wage was announced by at least five state governors in a bid to prevent strike actions by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The Nigerian labor union announced a strike across approximately 14 states, in response to state governors’ failure to enforce a new minimum wage aimed at assisting workers in managing the rising cost of living during economic changes.
In a letter dated 29 November and sent to all presidents and general secretaries of the NLC affiliates, the labour union indicated that after a resolution passed by its Central Working Committee in Kano, employees in the non-compliant states must go on strike to urge the governments to enforce the new minimum wage law.
At first, NLC stated that the states impacted by the strike included Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Oyo, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara.
Nevertheless, after the NLC’s announcement, several state governors quickly declared their endorsement of the minimum wage, compelling the labor unions in those states to call off their intended action. The states that came to a consensus on the minimum wage during the weekend are Ondo, Jigawa, Sokoto, Nasarawa, and Katsina states.
After the last-minute endorsement from these state governors, the NLC decided against the planned strike except in Nasarawa.
Union officials previously stated that the strike was initiated following months of unsuccessful talks aimed at enforcing the new minimum wage.
Media reports indicate that although the strike was halted in numerous states, it remained active and impactful in others.
In July, President Bola Tinubu enacted the minimum wage legislation, establishing a national minimum wage of N70,000 for all public and private sector employees.
Compliance with strike
On Monday, the Punch newspaper stated that employees in the Federal Capital Territory, Cross River, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Kaduna, and Zamfara states participated in the strike to urge the authorities to implement the new minimum wage legislation.
PREMIUM TIMES stated that the NLC claimed the strike achieved 90 per cent compliance in Ebonyi, but Governor Francis Nwifuru threatened to dismiss any employee who does not return to work within the next 72 hours.
Mr. Nwifuru charged the Ebonyi NLC with failing to inform its members truthfully and with initiating the strike despite the welfare programs he has introduced for employees, while the NLC countered that the governor unilaterally granted workers a wage instead of establishing a minimum wage. It called the decision unacceptable, stating that it does not conform to standard practices in labor/government relations.
The FCT Council of the NLC additionally instructed the workers in the six Area Councils to initiate an indefinite strike, yet there was minimal adherence to that instruction. The NLC criticized the lack of response from the area council chairpersons regarding the demand for minimum wage implementation, even after they received the NLC’s National Executive Council communique dated 14 November.
In Nasarawa, despite the government agreeing with the union to pay a minimum wage of N70,500, the NLC stated it would continue with the strike as the implementation has not yet started.
In the same vein, the Kaduna State Government announced that it had started applying the new national minimum wage, with the state’s lowest-paid employee earning N72,000 as total salary in November. Nevertheless, NLC stated it would continue the strike since a negotiated adjustment for other worker categories had not been enforced.
The governor’s representative, Ibrahim Musa, charged the NLC with distorting the truth by asserting that the state has failed to pay the new minimum wage. Mr. Musa stated that the NLC had been advocating for consequential adjustments; however, the state government contended that salary increments and the minimum wage are not the same.
In Zamfara, the NLC stated that employees in the state have not yet received the updated minimum wage, and the only option left is to participate in the strike.
No strike in Imo, Oyo
The chairperson of the NLC in Imo state, Uche Chigamaezu, informed the Punch newspaper that there were no intentions to initiate any strike.
“We cannot consider initiating any strike since we have come to a consensus with the state government under Governor Hope Uzodimma.”
“He has demonstrated dedication to the payment of N70,000 minimum wage for Imo employees.” Mr. Chigamaezu stated, “We have conveyed our stance to the national organization, and they are informed about the government’s upcoming decision to implement the minimum wage.”
In Oyo, both the NLC and TUC announced they will not join the strike, stating they maintain a “good rapport” with the governor and expect to complete negotiations this week.
States’ commitment to new minimum wage
Results indicate that nearly all states have pledged to the updated minimum wage, agreeing to compensate the lowest-paid worker with the N70,000 set by the federal government.
Nevertheless, in numerous states, the issue resides in the modifications that need to be applied to the compensation of different worker groups. The NLC insists that any such changes should result from discussions between the government and labor unions, whereas several governments prefer to impose random hikes.
Lagos, the economic hub of Nigeria, and the oil-rich Rivers state approved a legislation to provide N85,000. The four states of Bayelsa, Niger, Enugu, and Akwa Ibom settled on N80,000.
In the North-east, the governor of Gombe State authorized N71,500 as the updated minimum wage, whereas Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba, Borno, and Yobe approved N70,000 as the new minimum wage.
In the North-west, Kebbi sanctioned N75,000, then Kaduna with N72,000, and Kano with N71,000. The three states of Katsina, Jigawa, and Sokoto have likewise sanctioned N70,000 as the minimum wage, although implementation has yet to commence. The new minimum wage bill has not been approved by Zamfara state yet.
In the north-central region, Niger has emerged as the leader with an approval of N80,000, followed closely by Benue at N75,000, and Kogi with N72,500. Both Plateau and Kwara states approved N70,000, while Nasarawa state entered the agreement late on Monday by also approving N70,000.
In the south-west, Oyo has sanctioned N80,000, Ogun follows with N77,000, then Osun at N75,000, Ondo at N73,000, and Ekiti at N70,000.
While Rivers sanctioned N85,000, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa pledged to a minimum wage of N80,000. Delta, Edo, and Cross River have endorsed N70,000 as the revised minimum wage.
In the South-east, Enugu Governor Peter Mbah consented to pay N80,000 to workers in Enugu, while his colleague in Ebonyi sanctioned N75,000. In Anambra, Imo, and Abia, governors sanctioned N70,000 as the minimum wage.
