Following the recent nationwide strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Senate President Akpabio has initiated a motion to make industrial actions illegal, citing the need to prevent economic sabotage.
The NLC’s June 3rd strike directly responded to the federal government’s refusal to conclude the national minimum wage negotiations, reverse electricity tariff hikes, and demand an end to discriminatory consumer classifications, according to the NLC statement.
In response to the strike, Akpabio has threatened to introduce new provisions in the forthcoming minimum wage law to address what he perceives as “extreme actions to sabotage the economy” by the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Akpabio emphasized that the shutdown of the national grid during the NLC’s strike was more an act of sabotage than a form of agitation. He also condemned the disruption of Hajj flights caused by the shutdown of the international airport.
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The upper legislative chamber has disclosed that such a situation will not be allowed to occur again, as laws against it will be amended in the soon-to-be-enacted new National Minimum Wage Act.
However, the NLC has categorically rejected Akpabio’s recent remarks that the indefinite nationwide strike on Tuesday by the NLC and TUC constituted economic sabotage. It described such accusations as baseless and deeply troubling for patriots and democracy advocates, reaffirming its unwavering commitment to the rights of Nigerian workers.
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