BY GODWIN IJEDIOGOR (with agency reports)
THE Organised Labour, made up of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), has suspended its two-day-old strike for one week to enable it, the Federal Government and Organised Private Sector (OPS) firm up an agreement on the new minimum wage.
President of TUC, Festus Osifo, who confirmed this in Abuja on Tuesday, June 4, after a joint extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the unions, said: “A joint NEC meeting of TUC/NLC has approved to relax the industrial action for one week with immediate effect.”
A communique was being expected from both unions, but the development was also confirmed by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in Abuja, saying it was in consonance with the agreement reached with the Federal Government and the Tripartite Committee on Monday, June 4.
The strike over a new national minimum wage, electricity rate increase and other government policies that have brought untold hardship on the citizens, started on Monday and led to nationwide blackout due to the shutdown of the national grid.
The Federal Government had on Monday expressed commitment to raise the N60, 000 offered as minimum wage after a meeting with the leadership of organised labour, with talks with the tripartite committee on a new national minimum resuming on Tuesday.
After the meeting between the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and the unions, represented the NLC and TUC, there initially emerged conflicting positions regarding the outcome and the state of the strike.
While the TUC said it had suspended the strike, the NLC said it would consult with its various organs before making a definitive pronouncement.
Osifo said the strike had been called off, NLC said: “Until we hear from our organs at our meeting, scheduled for today. June 4, we are still on strike,” after the government had at the meeting expressed readiness to increase its initial N60,000 as national minimum wage, as against Labour’s demand of over N400,000.
In a circular jointly issued by the committee members at the end of the meeting, it was disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had expressed his commitment to a national minimum wage that is higher than N60,000
The circular read: “Arising from the above, the tripartite committee is to meet every day for the next one week with a view to arriving at an agreeable national minimum wage.
“Labour, in deference to the high esteem of the President’s commitment in above, undertakes to convene a meeting of its organs immediately to consider this commitment.
“The committee also resolved that no worker will be victimised as a result of the industrial action.”
The resolutions were signed on behalf of the Federal Government by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.
Akume, who read the resolutions, said: “President Bola Tinubu is committed to a national minimum wage that is higher than N60,000.
“Let me reassure Nigerians that we have had a very realistic and patriotic meeting, and the results will be manifesting.”
The NLC and TUC have repeatedly proposed N615,500, and later, N494,000, as the new national minimum wage, citing inflation and prevailing economic challenges in the country.
