By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has faulted the June 3, 2024 notice of industrial action issued by the Organised Labour in Nigeria, describing it as “premature, ineffectual and illegal”.
The West African country’s chief law officer urged Labour to return to the negotiation table, saying dialogue was a more progressive path to take than industrial action.
In a letter dated June 1, 2024 and addressed to the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Fagbemi further drew the attention of the aggrieved unions to Sections 41(1) and 42(1) of the Trade Disputes Act 2004 (As amended) which required the NLC and the TUC to issue mandatory strike notices of a minimum of 15 days.
Additionally, the AGF drew the attention of Labour to interrim injunctive order granted on June 5, 2023 by an Abuja court which restrained the NLC and the TUC from embarking on any industrial action.
“This order has neither been stayed or set-aside, therefore it remains binding on the labour unions,” he said.
Heritage Times HT reports that the labour unions had said the current minimum wage of ₦30,000 can no longer cater to the wellbeing of an average Nigerian worker.
They expressed dissatisfaction that not all states of the Federation are paying the current minimum wage which expired in April 2024, five years after the Minimum Wage Act of 2019 was signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Constitution provides that the minimum wage Act be reviewed every five years to meet up with contemporary economic demands of workers.
Labour, which is pushing for N494,000 had handed the Federal Government a May 31 deadline for the new minimum wage.
On May 31, the workers’ organs in the country declared a nationwide strike beginning from Monday, June 3, 2024 over the government committee’s inability to agree on a new minimum wage and reversal of electricity tariff hike.
Labour rejected three government’s offers, the latest being N60,000. Both the TUC and the NLC subsequently pulled out of negotiations, insisting on ₦494, 000 as the new minimum wage.
