The leadership of the Labour Party (LP) has called on the Federal Government and organised labour to return to the negotiation table and arrive at an acceptable position for the sake of suffering Nigerians
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, LP noted that Nigeria has been thrown into darkness, hospitals shut and water pipes drained in just a few hours into the strike, thereby throwing Nigerians into yet another hardship.
It said that both the government and the labour needed to shift grounds and have a meeting point to relieve the masses of the suffering that the industrial action had generated.
He said: “It is our opinion that the Federal Government ought not to have allowed the strike to commence in the first instance. And whether a new minimum wage is due, the answer is yes, because the reality as of today is that the current minimum wage of N30.000 can not even take anybody home.
“It cannot stand the economic realities of the people today. This reality accords the importance of an upward review of the minimum wage”.
The party noted that the labour and government need to shift their position in the spirit of negotiation “so that we can have something reasonable from both sides.
“The amount being tabled by the Federal Government can be upped but the organised labour must also prune their demands.
“We want to urge both parties to come back to the drawing tables. We particularly appeal to the Federal Government, that they must play the role of the father figure by ensuring that Labour comes back to the table so that they can discuss and agree to avert the current suffering that the people are going through”, the statement added.
On Monday, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) flagged off a nationwide industrial action over the inability of the Federal Government to consent to its proposed minimum wage for Nigerian workers regarding the current economic realities.
According to them, the current minimum wage of N30,000 can no longer cater to the well-being of an average Nigerian worker, lamenting that not all governors are paying the current wage award which expired in April 2024, five years after the Minimum Wage Act of 2019 was signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari. The Act should be reviewed every five years to meet with contemporary economic demands of workers.
However, the opposition party said the government must show concern and sincerity, and that they are ready to shift ground enough for the unions to trust them and return to the negotiation table.
