The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has set a deadline of December 1, 2024, for state governments to adopt the new minimum wage or face industrial action.
In a statement on Sunday after its National Executive Council meeting in Port Harcourt, it also accused fuel marketers of exaggerating petrol prices, saying that the pump price is considerably higher than the market rate.
The union argued that Nigerians are being taken advantage of, with citizens facing increased suffering and hunger due to government policies that are driving many into poverty.
The NLC also instructed state councils that have not yet implemented the new minimum wage to initiate an indefinite strike starting December 1, 2024, in protest against unresolved labour issues.
In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved raising the minimum wage for Nigerian workers from N30,000 to N70,000. However, the rollout across states has been slow, and some states have yet to implement the new minimum wage.
While several states have vowed to comply with the N70,000 minimum wage, others have gone further by promising to offer wages above the minimum.
