ABUJA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's organized labor on Sunday announced it has suspended a nationwide strike to protest the government's failure to respond to its demand for a new minimum wage.
Suspension of the nationwide industrial action takes immediate effect, according to Ayuba Wabba, national president of the Nigeria Labor Congress.
The labor unions embarked on the industrial action since Thursday after the government failed to respond to their demand within 14 days.
Wabba said the labor action was suspended to enable a government-approved tripartite committee to hold its crucial meeting and conclude its work on the minimum wage.
Labor union leaders are asking the federal government to raise the national minimum wage from 18,000 naira (50.07 U.S. dollars) to 56,000 naira, citing the current economic realities, especially the high rate of inflation in the country.
The 18,000-naira minimum wage was approved when the naira was exchanging at 145 naira to the dollar, and it has been unchanged for over eight years.
The naira now stands at around 360 to the dollar on the parallel market.
The Nigerian government said it will reconvene a meeting of the 30-member tripartite National Minimum Wage Committee for the negotiation of a new minimum wage on Oct. 4.
The committee was set up by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2017.
