According to VANGUARD, in response to pressing concerns regarding the minimum wage and the most recent increase in electricity rates, organized labor has been urged by the Campaign for Democratic and Workers' Rights (CDWR) to swiftly organize and call for a national strike.
In a statement released by its National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Bosah, the CDWR urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) to declare and widely mobilize for a 48-hour general strike and mass protest.
Among the demands are the removal of all policies that discriminate against the poor, such as privatization, deregulation, subsidy elimination, and rate increases for electricity.
Another demand is a minimum wage of at least ₦200,000. CDWR exposed the ongoing battle between the NLC, TUC, the government, and the private sector over a new minimum wage.
The private sector and the government have been at odds over negotiations for over three weeks because they want to pay ₦60,000. In response to this impasse, an indefinite strike was declared on June 3, 2024; the strike was called off on June 4, 2024.
“The mass protest of mostly young people has just forced the Ruto-led government in Kenya to withdraw the IMF/World Bank-inspired tax increment policy. This example shows that it is also possible for Nigerian working people and youth to force the Tinubu-led government to reverse the prices of petroleum products, electricity tariffs, fee hikes in public schools, and all other neo-liberal capitalist policies, policies which would give some immediate respite to most Nigerians," the statement read.
Additionally, CDWR called for grassroots initiatives to ensure that trade union leaders are carrying out their duties with seriousness and to boost support for the cause.
The group emphasized that in order to prevent wages from falling below the poverty line and the rate of inflation, the minimum wage must be automatically increased to keep up with growing living expenses and inflation.
However, given the recent failures of the NLC and TUC to seriously mobilize, Bosah continued, "trade unionists and activists must themselves take steps to organize a campaign at the grassroots level to both build support for the struggle and for the trade unions to have leaders who take their responsibilities seriously."