| 2024 Nigerian general strike | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 31 May 2024 – 18 July 2024 | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by | Cost-of-living crisis | ||
| Goals | Increase of the minimum wage (initially to ₦494,000; later reduced to ₦250,000) | ||
| Methods | Strike actions | ||
| Status | Concluded
| ||
| Parties | |||
| Lead figures | |||
On 31 May 2024, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) called for an indefinite general strike, demanding the country's monthly minimum wage be raised from ₦30,000 to ₦494,000. This came as a response to a national cost-of-living crisis, as the price of food and electricity overtook the minimum wage, which is relatively low for the large African economy.
The country's national grid and its airports were shut down on 3 June 2024, as were banks, hospitals and schools. The government responded by denouncing the unions' demands as "unreasonable" and declaring the strike to be illegal. The following day, the NLC and TUC suspended the strike, pending talks with the government over raising the minimum wage. Weeks of discussions and negotiations subsequently took place, during which the unions reduced their demanded minimum wage increase to ₦250,000.
Following a series of meetings with the government, on 18 July 2024, the NLC and TUC agreed to an increased minimum wage of ₦70,000, subject to a minimum wage review every three years, with the federal government also pledging to increase investment in transportation infrastructure and renewable energy. NLC leader Joe Ajaero expressed mixed feelings about the settlement, but remained optimistic about the new triennial review period.