By Olawale Lamina
Following a meeting on Monday between the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, the Trade a union Congress, TUC and the representatives of the federal government which led to an agreement to up the new minimum wage above N60,000 currently offered, there are possibilities that the unions may suspend their nationwide strike to pave the way for further negotiations.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, George Akume, read the resolutions reached at the end of the meeting and stated: “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.”
Akume assured that the tripartite committee would be meeting everyday for the next one week to arrive at an agreeable national minimum wage, adding that the “labour in deference to the high esteem of the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria’s commitment” to a minimum wage that is above N60,000, “undertakes to convene a meeting of its organs immediately to consider this commitment.
The AGF seized the occasion to state that agreement had beed reached to see to it that no worker is victimized as a result of the strike action.
The industrial action which started on Monday immediately grounded activities in government offices, airports, public schools and other public institutions.
also recall that, to ensure a good impact, the labour unions shut down the national grid, leading to a total blackout, now affecting households and businesses.
Available information also has it the the labour unions will be consulting with its key constituents on the way forward, following agreement by the government to pay workers above N60,000 it last offered. The series of consultations within a week are expected to result in suspension of the nationwide strike anytime soon.
The labour unions comprising the NLC and the TUC embarked on an indefinite strike for failure of the federal government to accept and effect the proposed minimum wage by the unions based on the current hardship faced by workers in the country.
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