The federal government has declared the planned nationwide strike by organised labour over minimum wage demands illegal. This is according to a letter from the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and minister of justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
The AGF stated that the strike call is “ineffectual, premature, and illegal” since negotiations on a new national minimum wage are still ongoing. In the letter, which was addressed to the presidents of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), Fagbemi added that the strike was illegal since no 15-day notice was issued as required by law.
Speaking on the industrial action. “You are aware that the federal and state governments are not the only employers to be bound by a new national minimum wage. Hence, it is vital to balance the interest and capacity of all employers of labour in the country (inclusive of the Organised Private Sector) in order to determine a minimum wage for the generality of the working population,” the letter quoted by TheCable partly reads.
