The Labour Party has urged workers’ unions to re-negotiate with President Bola Tinubu’s government on the new minimum wage rather than go on strike.

Party spokesman Obiora Ifoh made the plea in an interview on Monday in Lagos.

He was reacting to the strike declared nationwide strike by the organised labour over its demand for a new minimum wage.

Mr Ifoh said that strike was not an option because it would cause more hardship and sufferings.

“Our immediate reaction is that the organised labour should not throw Nigerians into more hardship. Nigerians are already grappling with a lot of challenges and we do not need to exacerbate the situation.

“I think the demand for N494,000 minimum wage is unrealistic. It is really unrealistic. It is a figure that cannot be sustained because it will imply that Nigeria will take all that money it has to pay the civil servants,” Mr Ifoh said.

Mr Ifoh said that the labour unions should continue to engage  the federal government on a figure that would be acceptable to both parties.

“Negotiation should continue until they get something better. Asking Nigerian workers to stay at home will affect everything, including the cost of living and Nigerians cannot afford that now. Negotiation is not a one-off thing.

“If the federal government is not willing to go above N60,000 minimum wage, I think that the organised labour should work with what is available while it continues to negotiate. We know this government has not gotten it right. It is still trying to test the waters,” the Labour Party spokesman explained.

He said that the party would not want any action that could further cause hardship.

After the government failed to meet workers’ demand, the labour unions on Monday commenced an indefinite strike to push for a new national minimum wage for workers.

The strike followed a series of unsuccessful negotiations involving the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and government representatives.

Representatives of labour had on May 28 walked out of the tripartite committee meeting on minimum wage after the government increased its offer from N57,000 to N60,000.

The government and the organised private sector had initially proposed ₦48,000, then ₦54,000 and ₦57,000, all rejected by the unions.

The unions proposed ₦615,000 as new minimum wage, but later came down to  ₦497,000 and then to ₦494,000, to reflect the current rising cost of living

(NAN)