Proposed Strike By Labour is Illegal and Immature:FG

 

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have been cautioned by the Federal Government against initiating a nationwide indefinite strike starting tomorrow (Monday). This caution, articulated through a statement from the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, on Sunday, denoted the proposed industrial action as “premature, ineffectual, and illegal.” The government emphasized that the ongoing demand for an increase in the minimum wage of workers in the nation is currently under consideration. It asserted that the labor unions have not met the necessary prerequisites to warrant a strike. The Attorney General, in correspondence directed to the two labor unions, highlighted that negotiations concerning a new national minimum wage by the Tripartite Committee remain ongoing without a conclusion being declared by the Federal Government and other involved stakeholders.

The Attorney General contended that the determination of a new national minimum wage should consider the interests and capacities of all employers of labor in the country, including the Organized Private Sector. This, he stressed, is essential to establish a minimum wage that caters to the entirety of the working population. Additionally, he pointed out that an existing order from the National Industrial Court, which prohibits the two labor unions from initiating any form of strike action, remains valid as it has not been overturned.