Organised Labour on Saturday directed workers in the states where governors were yet to implement the new minimum wage to immediately begin an indefinite strike.
This came as the Federal Government said state governors had no choice but to pay the N30,000 national minimum wage, warning that any governor not paying was breaching the nation’s law.
The unions also sought for general upward salary review for workers, even as it lamented the seemly intractable socio-economic and political predicaments that had enveloped the nation.
International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on May 1.
This year’s event is coming at a time when labour is facing enormous challenges due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a joint address to Nigerian workers to mark this year’s celebration, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, at the Eagle Square, Abuja, directed workers in the state where governors were not paying the minimum wage to immediately down tools and immediately, begin an indefinite strike.
In their May Day address titled: ‘COVID-19, Social and Economic Crises: Challenges for Decent Work, Social Protection and Peoples Welfare’, jointly read by the President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, and his TUC counterpart, Quadiri Olaleye, they said: “We demand an upward review of salary of core civil servants to narrow the gap between their emoluments and those of employees in other segments of the public service. We implore the federal government to once more direct the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to set up a committee to undertake this review.”