The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) has called on Organised Labour to immediately mobilize and declare a nationwide strike over the minimum wage and the recent hike in electricity tariffs.
According to CDWR, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), as the next step in the minimum wage struggle, should declare and mobilize widely for a 48-hour general strike and mass protest to demand a minimum wage not less than N200,000 and the reversal of all anti-poor policies (privatization, deregulation, subsidy removal, electricity tariff hike, etc.).
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Bosah, CDWR said: “The NLC and TUC have been at loggerheads with the government and the private sector over a new minimum wage, and negotiations have been deadlocked for over three weeks and counting. The government and private sector’s insistence on paying N60,000 provoked the declaration of an indefinite strike which started on June 3, 2024, but was suspended on June 4, 2024.
“The suspension was to last for five days, but it does not appear that the labour leadership put in place any plan of action should the government, as usual, fail to meet their demands. Many principal leaders proceeded on the trip to the meetings of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Switzerland. This is the second time the labour leadership has suspended action this year and gone to sleep. The first was a two-week ultimatum declared following the suspension of a nationwide mass protest on February 28, 2024, which lapsed on March 13, 2024.
“The strike organized on June 3, 2024, was the most effective and widely supported compared to previous strikes since 2016, even though it was not adequately mobilized. The capitalist ruling elite came under pressure as major sectors of the economy were shut down, including sea, airport, and electricity. Rather than build on the momentum, labour leaders have again gone to sleep. Unfortunately, this inaction gave the capitalist ruling elite more time to maneuver and recover. The labour leaders could make the case that they were engaged in important meetings at the International Labour Organisation, but they could have sent one or two people to Europe instead of a delegation of around 116 ‘workers’ representatives.’ The other ‘workers’ representatives’ could have travelled around Nigeria campaigning rather than sitting in Switzerland. Instead, when millions of Nigerians suffer a massive drop in living standards, the ‘Generals’ left the battlefield for too long and did nothing serious to mobilize support for what was likely to be a major struggle.
“Wage is a crucial aspect of the unfair, exploitative, profiteering capitalist system. The self-serving capitalist ruling elite, government, and private sector employers will continually do everything to condemn Nigerian workers to poverty wages to secure huge profits and a profligate lifestyle for themselves. Weak Nigerian capitalism can only function based on low wages; hence, the government and the organised private sector resist a genuine living wage for workers. Even the N30,000 minimum wage, which ought to have been outdated, has not been implemented by some states. For instance, the Zamfara State government just announced the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage structure this month (June 2024), more than five years after it had become law. In line with class struggle, the challenge for the trade union movement is to force the capitalist ruling elite to grant a living wage to Nigerian workers and resist all anti-people policies.
**High Inflation**
“This is urgent. The inflation rate is 33.95 percent, the rising cost of living is notoriously high as prices change rapidly, and food generally has become unaffordable, forcing many people to go hungry. A basket of tomatoes is over N60,000, a bag of beans is over N180,000, a big tuber of yam is over N10,000, a bag of rice is about N80,000, and a crate of eggs is N5,000. To feed a family of four adequately costs more than N150,000, aside from the ever-increasing cost of education, healthcare, housing, utilities, etc. In the face of this economic hardship, the government and the private sector want to condemn workers to an abysmally low N60,000 minimum wage structure. The state governors are advocating a minimum wage structure for workers that is lower than N60,000.
“Government apologists/representatives and bourgeois commentators have gone on the offensive to argue against a living wage since labour leaders abdicated the arena of struggle. They present the argument as if a living wage is not sustainable and will collapse the economy but turn a blind eye to the ever-increasing jumbo wages/allowances and extravagant lifestyle enjoyed by politicians and top management staff. For instance, the National Assembly spent a whopping N57.6 billion to buy 360 SUV cars (N160,000,000 per SUV) in October 2023. This is just an example of extravagance, wastage, and corruption being replicated at different levels and strata of government as well as the private sector, which contributes negatively to the already bad state of the economy.
“The main reason the Nigerian economy is in bad shape with the devastating rising cost of living for working people is the fact that the whole economy is based on capitalism. The Nigerian ruling class, given Nigeria’s domination by imperialism, makes their money by the massive exploitation of working people, deals with imperialism, and looting of the commonwealth. As a result of this situation, working people are made to pay for the economic crises created by the capitalist ruling elite through low wages, higher taxes, subsidy removal, a hike in electricity tariffs, commercialization of education and healthcare through hikes in school fees and healthcare services, lack of basic infrastructure, etc.
“As much as we support higher wages for workers, no amount of wage increment will retain its value in the face of sustained neo-liberal capitalist attacks and the regular crises of capitalism. This is more reason the trade union leaders should fight for better wages and resist all anti-poor policies.
**Kenyan Example**
“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 CDWR calls on the leadership of the NLC and TUC, as the next step in the minimum wage struggle, to declare and this time mobilize widely for a 48-hour general strike and mass protest to demand a minimum wage not less than N200,000 and the reversal of all anti-poor policies (privatization, deregulation, subsidy removal, electricity tariff hike, etc.).
“However, given the recent failures of the NLC and TUC to seriously mobilize, trade unionists and activists must themselves take steps to organize a campaign at the grassroots level to both build support for the struggle and ensure the trade unions have leaders who take their responsibilities seriously.
“Among the immediate demands should be the call for the inclusion of a demand that the minimum wage must be automatically adjusted in line with the rate of inflation and the rising cost of living. The minimum wage need not wait for four or five years before adjustment. This may forestall needless long negotiations and ensure wages do not fall behind the inflationary rate and poverty line. However, it will require a serious struggle to force the capitalist elite to agree to this and actually implement it as they will try to take back any concessions they have been forced to make.
“The slow collapse of the Nigerian economy and the similar crises in many countries in Africa and beyond illustrate how the unstable capitalist system cannot deliver sustainable long-term growth. Elections show the massive unpopularity of governments in Britain, France, and Germany, among others, as crises grip the so-called ‘advanced’ countries.
“This is why the CDWR also calls on the labour movement to seriously begin building a pan-Nigerian democratic and working people’s political party on a socialist programme. This is needed to defeat the self-serving capitalist ruling elite and begin to plan the economy for the benefit of the vast majority.”
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