The Nigerian Labour Congress [NLC] has announced plans to begin a three day warning strike next week Wednesday to protest the non passage of the national minimum wage bill.

The union leaders who announced the industrial strike at a news conference in Abuja said that the strike would be total and affect every segment of the economy.

The labour union has directed all workers in the public service and the private sector to observe the three days as work free days.

The Electricity Workers Union has directed its members in the Power Holding Company of Nigeria [PHCN] to join the strike.

The three day warning strike which is to commence on Wednesday November 10 to Friday 12 November is the fall out of a long negotiation between the union and the government over the agreed minimum wage of N18, 000.

The joint government/labour/employer negotiating team chaired by Retired Chief Justice Alfa Belgore which finished its work in April 2010, drafted a new minimum wage bill to reflect the agreement, but since the new minimum wage was agreed, the federal government has not given legal backing to the agreement.

The union said that it will not be satisfied with the executive forwarding the bill to the National Assembly, but federal lawmakers must demonstrate commitment to pass it into law.

The leadership of the NLC said that its sister union, the trade union congress has agreed to join the nation -wide strike.