If We Organise Better We Can Win!

A year ago the NLC leadership ‘relaxed’ a general strike in the middle of the second day. We had expectations of winning a minimum wage of at least 250,000 naira. This demand was given up in exchange for a Government promise not to further increase the price of petrol. The average pump price petrol then surged by 77 per cent year-on-year to ₦1,234 per litre in April 2025, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The NLC and TUC had called an indefinite general strike from 3rd June 2024. Active progress was made to spread the strike during the first day, but a joint National Executive Committee called off the strike by mid-day the following day. This was after the government said that they would increase the minimum wage above ₦60,000. It eventually agreed a miserly ₦70,000 by the end of July. The struggle to win its implementation continues.

Strikes were organised in five states and the FCT at the end of November and early December 2024 and some definite gains were achieved. The minimum wage was generally being implemented much earlier than was the case with the previous ₦30,000 minimum wage. In several cases, the consequential adjustments are higher than last time. But for several states the ₦70,000 minimum wage has still not been fully implemented and there is no agreement on payment of arrears from July 2024.

As we go to print, the strike in FCT over implementation of the minimum wage in the area councils continues, well into its third month. Gombe State NLC called for a three day warning strike in the local governments, but then almost immediately called it off with a promise of payment at the end of this month – with no indication of arrears.

We can and must do better than this! We have to ensure that our trade unions are more democratically controlled. All agreements with the government must be ratified by the NEC or union committee before being signed. We need far more unity and solidarity. If a strike is not won within a few weeks, then the dispute has to be widened to include other workers. We need groups of Socialist Labour supporters in each state and trade union to meet and plan how we can be more effective.

Our demands of a year ago remain the same. If we organise better we can still win:
• a decent minimum wage with annual increments in line with inflation
• payment of all salary and pension arrears in states and payment of proper palliatives
• reversal of school and tuition fee hikes and the introduction of a maximum affordable fee level
• payment of all with-held salaries to ASUU and other education unions for 2022 strike
• reversal of the hikes in petrol and electricity prices