The Labour Party has called on the workers’ unions to return to the negotiating table with the government to agree on a new minimum wage rather than embarking on industrial action.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, made the call in an interview on Monday in reaction to the ongoing nationwide strike.

earlier report says that the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) had shut down the national grid, plunging the country into darkness.

Secretariats in many states and the federal capital territory have also been shut down. Aviation and judicial workers have also downed tools in compliance with the strike declared over the inability of the government to pay workers a living wage.

But reacting to the ongoing strike, Ifoh said it was not an option, arguing that it would cause more hardship and suffering to poor Nigerians.

“Our immediate reaction is that organised labour should not throw Nigerians into more hardship,” he advised organised labour.

“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.”

Ifoh added that organised labour should continue to negotiate with the Nigerian Government to arrive at a figure that would be acceptable to all 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,” he added.

He said that the party was against actions that could worsen hardship in the country.