The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced plans to embark on a strike in Katsina, Zamfara, and Cross River states over the non-implementation of the new national minimum wage.
The strike, scheduled to begin on December 1, is a response to the state governments’ failure to approve and implement the N70,000 minimum wage for workers.
While 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have complied with the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act, Katsina, Cross River, and Zamfara states remain the only holdouts.
The NLC has warned that if the state governments do not implement the new wage, the union will have no choice but to take industrial action.
In Cross River, the labour union has already embarked on a two-day warning strike, which began on November 24. The strike was called off after the state government agreed to negotiate with the union. However, the union has threatened to embark on an indefinite strike if the state government fails to implement the new minimum wage.
Similarly, in Katsina, the state government has set up a 15-member committee to negotiate with the labour union. The committee is expected to determine the exact number of workers and calculate the financial implications of implementing the new minimum wage. However, the outcome of the negotiations is still uncertain, and the union has threatened to embark on a strike if the state government fails to implement the new wage.
In Zamfara, the state government has claimed to have made progress in its efforts to implement the new minimum wage. The government has set up a committee to work out the implementation details and has assured workers that they will receive the new wage soon. However, the union has expressed skepticism about the government’s commitment to implementing the new wage.
The NLC has called on the state governments to take immediate action to implement the new minimum wage. The union has warned that any failure to do so will result in industrial action, which may disrupt economic activities in the affected states.
