Nigerians will now have to wait for five more days to know whether the one-day strike of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) will yield the desired result. This is because the NLC and TUC have suspended the strike.
Many Nigerians had looked forward to a remarkable outcome, but not many knew that it would take this long to decide the salary of the nation’s workforce.
On Tuesday, a day after a nationwide strike was called, the NLC and the TUC suspended the industrial action.
They could not reach an agreement on the first day discussions started between the unions’ representatives and those of the Federal Government.
Approval To Relax Industrial Action
They are pushing for a new minimum wage and a reconsideration of the new electricity tariff that is digging holes in the pockets of many Nigerians.
Indeed, the President of the TUC, Festus Osifo, confirmed the decision to suspend the strike in Abuja on Tuesday.
It came after a joint extraordinary national executive council meeting of the unions.
After the meeting Osifo said: “A joint NEC meeting of TUC/NLC has approved to relax the industrial action for one week with immediate effect”.
According to him, the unions will issue a statement on their decision later.
Both unions motivated their members to down tools on Monday after weeks of shifting it.
Their reason was simply to register their displeasure with the hike in electricity tariff.
Also, they needed to push a new minimum wage, which, according to them, was long overdue.
Meanwhile, activities had halted in critical sectors of the Nigerian economy.
Schools, especially those under the government’s management, businesses, hospitals, and airports were shut.
Nigerians were also thrown in darkness, with the shutting down of the national grid.
The action of the union came after a May 31 deadline. They had asked the government to ensure they reach an agreement on a new minimum wage before the time.
But the government had been slow to raising the amount to an over ₦400,000 minimum wage that the unions were asking for.
Pulled Out OF Negotiations
Indeed, these negotiations have been on with the Federal government for weeks, running into months.
Basically, during the failed talks with the government, the labour unions turned down three government’s offers.
The latest was a ₦60,000 minimum wage offer that the government said it could afford.
Pained by the amount, the NLC and the TUC pulled out of the negotiations.
They insisted on a new minimum wage of ₦494,000.
Have You Read: Minimum Wage: Why We Rejected FG’s ₦60,000 Offer – Organised Labour
One of the things that the Tinubu administration has avoided is an industrial protest and they have continued to guard against it.
Again, the government moved to halt the strike that began on Monday.
A delegation of the Federal Government and the labour leaders were locked in long meeting hours, running into the night.
At the meeting were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume, the Minister of Labour and Employment (State) and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
Representing the TUC was Osifo and the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero.
After the meeting, the NLC resolved to suspend the strike for five days to make room for further negotiations.
The Federal Government had said it was willing to now move beyond the ₦60,000 it had proposed as the new minimum wage.
After the night’s meeting, the NLC and TUC said they would meet to decide the next action.
Furthermore, they are to have regular meetings with the government.
Earlier, there were reports that workers who fail to show up at work would be punished.
However, the labour unions said they also agreed that “no worker would be victimised as a result of the strike”.
Now, the NLC and TUC have suspended the strike and Nigerians will have the next five days to wait for the outcome of the negotiations that are ongoing.
