Presidency speaks over ongoing NLC minimum wage strike

The presidency has issued a statement in response to the indefinite nationwide strike action embarked upon by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The strike action is a response to the Federal Government’s refusal to increase the proposed minimum wage from N60,000.

In a social media post on Monday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, expressed disappointment and sadness that the Labour Party has taken such a drastic stance regarding the proposed minimum wage.

He claimed that a significant number of affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) are ardent supporters of the Labour Party (LP), which emerged as the third major force in the 2023 general elections.

“It’s saddening that Labour could go to this extreme. But it is not surprising to the perceptive minds. Labour is harming the Nigerian people they claim to be fighting for.

“Today, many sick Nigerians cannot access medical care at government hospitals. Not even those with critical medical conditions. It appears labour is playing politics by other means. Many of the affiliates of the two central unions, NLC and TUC, are members and supporters of the Labour Party. They logically bear ill will and grudges against the Tinubu administration.

“Otherwise, the issue they claim to be fighting for cannot be resolved by blackmail or sabotage, they cannot even be resolved by the Federal Government unilaterally, the Labour leaders will still have to return to the negotiating table.”