- The federal government has declared the planned strike by the NLC and TUC over minimum wage demands as illegal
- The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, stated that the strike call is “ineffectual, premature, and illegal” as negotiations are still ongoing
- The labour unions announced an indefinite strike starting Monday, June 3, over the federal government’s refusal to increase the minimum wage and reverse the electricity tariff hike
Legit.ng journalist Nurudeen Lawal has 8 years of experience covering political campaigns and elections
FCT, Abuja—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.

Photo credits: Emmanuel Osodi/Majority World/Universal Images Group, Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
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Why NLC/TUC strike is illegal – FG
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.
The AGF also cited a 2023 National Industrial Court order restraining the unions from embarking on 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.
Why labour declared indefinite strike
Legit.ng recalls that the labour unions announced on Friday, May 31, that an indefinite strike would commence on Monday, June 3, over the federal government’s refusal to increase the minimum wage from N60,000.
The labour unions that the government’s refusal to reverse the electricity tariff hike is part of the reasons for the planned industrial action.
Minimum wage: Primate Ayodele speaks on NLC’s demands
Meanwhile, organised labour’s demand for N494,000 as the new minimum wage from the federal government has been described as unrealistic.
Primate Elijah Ayodele, the spiritual leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, said this while reacting to the NLC’s request from the federal government.
Source: Legit.ng