Why we can’t call off scheduled strike – Labour
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC)
Published By: Paul Dada
By Paul Dada
The leadership of the organised labour has insisted that its planned indefinite strike will continue despite the appeal by the National Assembly for it to be shelved.
But the two labour unions, the the Nigeria Labour Congress and the trade Union Congress said, they would meet their organs to take a decision on whether to suspend the strike or not.
The President, Trade Union Congress, TUC, Festus Osifo said this after a meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly on Sunday.
He said, “There was an appeal from the Senate President to call off the strike. On our part, we said we cannot sit here and just call off the strike because we need to report to our people. We will take all their pleas to our organs. For now, we don’t have the powers to call off the strike.”
The leadership of the National Assembly had in Abuja on Sunday met with the representatives of the Federal Government and labour leaders to forestall the planned indefinite nationwide strike scheduled to begin on Monday.
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The organised labour had announced it was going on strike following the refusal of the Federal Government to accede to its demand for a N497,000 minimum wage. It rejected the N60,000 offered by the Federal Government.
Present for the mediation talks that held at the Senate wing of the National Assembly Complex were the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau; Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele; House Leader, Julius Ihonvbere; and the Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Labour, Employment and Productivity, Diket Plang and Gboyega Adefarati, respectively.
Those that represented the Federal Government at the meeting are Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; Doris Uzoka-Anite; Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji; Minister of Information and National Orientation; Mohammed Idris and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; Mrs Folasade Yemi-Esan.
Labour was represented by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, President of the Trade Union Congress Festus Osifo, and some leaders of the two unions.
