The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has said the Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government has not given workers breathing space since assuming office.
It said the government has been dishing out one anti-poor policy after another to worsen the socio-economic conditions of the workers.
In a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said Nigerians had been going through a very difficult time, adding that it had not been easy in the last year.
He contended that besides the ill-advised petrol price hike and floating of the naira that had made life excruciating since May 29, 2023, the government added an electricity tariff hike to the burden.
Ajaero said: ‘’As we go through this phase of massive suffering in our nation as a result of the ill-advised policies of the federal government in hiking the price of PMS, under the guise of withdrawal of a non-existent subsidy and the devaluation of the naira, our responsibility must be focused on the protection of the welfare of workers and the downtrodden.
“Duty calls and we must respond vibrantly as expected to nudge the government in the right direction and protect our nation from imploding. That is why we must all prepare ourselves for the struggle ahead as we embark on another round of National Minimum Wage negotiation.
‘’It is our responsibility to send the right signal to the government of our continuous readiness not only to stand together but also protect our collective interests.
“We warned them about the consequences of their policies and they insisted that they know better, so we must insist on getting a living wage – A national minimum wage that will not amount to poverty or starvation and reinforce poverty.
‘’We cannot be working but are yet poor. Let us, therefore, gird our loins, though we appeal to the government to realize the importance of taking care of workers who are the original creators of wealth, for without us, no wheel can turn.’’