The Federal Government has urged organised labour to halt its scheduled strike and return to the negotiation table.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) called an indefinite strike on Friday, commencing on Monday, in protest of an increase in energy tariffs and the failure of a tripartite committee to achieve an agreement on a new minimum wage.
However, just a day after the pronouncement, Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris encouraged labour to reconsider its decision and examine the financial ramifications of its N494,000 new minimum wage demand on the government.
‘Return to Negotiating Table’
“Like I said now on the 31st of May 2024 in one of its meetings, which is supposed to be the seventh meeting of the tripartite agreement, labour walked out of that meeting,” he said in Abuja.
“This of course was to be the third time that labour was walking out of the meeting of the tripartite committee. On the two previous occasions, labour was persuaded to see reasons to come back to the negotiating table. We are also hoping that labour will again see reasons this time around to also return to negotiating table in the interest of Nigeria.”
He said: “The sum of N494,000 national minimum wage which labour is seeking would cumulatively amount to the sum N9.5 trillion bill to the Federal Government of Nigeria”.
‘Strike May Cripple Economy’
The Federal Government’s plea came at the same time that the Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed begged labour to halt the planned industrial action.
He spoke after he alongside his Edo State counterpart Godwin Obaseki and some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national working committee visited Governor Alex Otti of Abia in his hometown of Isiala-Ngwa Local Government Area the South-East state.
“Some of the state governors will not be able to pay. Even at the moment, the current minimum wage of N30,000, some states are not able to pay. And I know labor leaders are really leaders,” he said.
“They should look at this because the strike may cripple the economy and further cause pain to workers and all of us. So, we are pleading that we should have a combining point where we can look at our affordability.”
Before the declaration of strike, the organised labour had rejected three offers from the Federal Government.
The Federal Government during the sixth meeting of the tripartite committee offered to pay N60,000 as minimum wage, an offer the organised labour rejected, as they insisted on N497,000.