BREAKING: Planned nationwide strike action suspended, as FG, Labour reach compromise

*Agree on a figure between N24,000 – N30,000

*Wage increase without price control still poverty – Respondents

*Say Labour is playing safe suspending strike

 

The Nigeria’s Federal Government and the Organised Labour in the country have reached a compromise over the long talked about increase in minimum wage, which predated the advent of the Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with both parties signing documents to arrive at a figure between government’s N24,000 and labouor’s N30,000 which will only be made public after the report of the tripartite committee will have been submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari later on Tuesday November 6, 2018.

On this ground, the Organised Labour, Monday night, called off the nationwide industrial action initially scheduled to commence on Tuesday to press home workers’ demand for a new national minimum wage.

The National Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, announced the suspension at the end of the last meeting of the tripartite committee set up to come up with the new minimum wage Monday night.

Wabba said the decision to suspend the action was reached after agreements were reached and documents signed.

“Having reached this position and agreements signed, the proposed strike action is hereby suspended,” the labour leader said.

Wabba, however, refused to disclose the figure of the new minimum wage arrived at by the committee.

He said the figure would only be made public after the committee’s report would have been presented to President Muhammadu Buhari by 4.15pm on Tuesday.

He, however, said only one figure would be presented to the President.

He thanked all their tripartite partners for their understanding while particularly appreciating the roles of the private sector.

The Chairman of the committee, Amma Pepple, expressed delight that their assignment had been concluded.

“I am happy to report to you that we have concluded our assignment and we will submit our report to the President by 4.15pm on Tuesday.

“We will reveal the figure at the presentation,” she said.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, thanked members of the committee for doing a wonderful job. He described the process as a long journey.

“The committee has worked assiduously to reach the conclusion,” he said.

Although the government, equipped with facts of terms guiding labour and employers, went to court to avert the adamant Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) embarking on their planned strike action, it continued to leave a wide door open for continued jaw-jawing among parties.

The National Industrial Court (NIC) that is believed to be Labour’s own court, approached for the aversion of the strike, stopped the union leaders from embarking on such highly implicating strike action but they made up their minds not to obey the court, saying it was attempt by government to use it to hook-wink and gag them from demanding for their rights.

The government however, considering the adverse effect the labour action would have on the people particularly those who have no connection with minimum wage that is the artisan and market people and transporters the labour usually force into down-tooling, continued to negotiate for them to accept the offer it believes it and state governments can easily pay, but the union leaders refused to shift from their own grounds.

Eventually, after prolonged arguments among the tripartite committee members, the Federal Government and the organised labour yielded grounds and took a decision between N24,000 and N30,000 and which will only be announced only after President Buhari, who initiated the negotiation, will have been presented with the report of the committee.

To many Nigerians, whatever becomes the figure that will eventually be announced by government, it will be a great achievement – for the first time ever in history of Nigeria’s federal administrations – for the labour sector of the nation’s economy.

But some Nigerians, who responded to the amicable conclusion over the anticipated new pay increase, insisted that it will amount to nothing but continued poverty if checks mechanism is not applied to curb indiscriminate hike in market prices, which in most cases is reason take home pay of any Nigerian worker has got no value over the years.

Some other respondents said what Labour leaders have done suspending the strike action is to play safe not to be seen as being disobedient to constituted court, as they risked being arrested and prosecuted for contempt of court if they had gone ahead with the strike.