Breaking: Workers not going on strike tomorrow – NLC President Ajero

Breaking: Workers not going on strike tomorrow – NLC President Ajero

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, says the organised labour has no plans to resume its suspected nationwide strike tomorrow (Tuesday) on the new minimum wage dispute with the government.

He said labour would not go on strike yet because the figures were still on the table of President Bola Tinubu and feedback was being expected.

He spoke on Monday at the International Labour Conference taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Federal Government team on the negotiation committee has forwarded N62,000 to President Tinubu while the organised labour insists it has to be N250,000.

Ajaero said it was still possible for the President to increase the proposed figure before him.

He however described as lazy the state governors who declared they could not pay the proposed N62,000 new minimum wage already offered by the Federal Government.

He said, “We cannot declare strike now because the figures are with the President.

“During the tenure of the immediate past President, the figure that was proposed to him was N27,000 by the tripartite committee but he increased it to N30,000.

“We are hopeful that this President will do the right thing. The President had noted that the difference between N62,000 and N250,000 is a wide gulf.

“How can any governor say he cannot pay? They cannot also be calling for the decentralization of the minimum wage.

“Are there wages decentralized? Governors whose states are not contributing a dime to the national purse and who generate pitiable Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) are collecting the same amount as governors whose states are generating billions of dollars into the FAAC.

“They should decentralize their salaries and emoluments first.

“So, where is the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, getting his money from? He is paying N70,000 minimum wage. This is the type of governor that should be emulated and not the lazy ones.”