· NASS last ditch truce fails
· FG fumes, says strike illegal
By Sarah NEGEDU
A last ditch effort by the top echelon of the National Assembly to avert the nationwide strike by organised labour failed late Sunday night leading to the commencement of the indefinite strike action by the labour unions.
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, had called workers out following the lingering issue of new minimum wage for workers in the country.
While the organised labour wants a wage of N497, 000, the federal government and organised private sector was bargaining for N60, 000.
Worried by the prospect of a strike, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas had called for a meeting with the labour unions to find a way out of the impasse.
The meeting which started at about 5:45pm on Sunday evening, lasted till a few minutes past 10pm with no agreement.
Present at the meeting were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume; Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; Minister of Finance, Dr Wale Edun;Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu.
Others were Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Nkiruka Onyejiocha; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan.
Addressing newsmen after the closed-door meeting which lasted for four hours, President of the TUC, Festus Usifo, said, “The Senate President appealed to us to call off the strike. But we can’t sit here and call off the strike because we have others organs. We will take the appeals to our various organs.
“We don’t have the powers to call off the strike action. For now, the strike action will commence, while we discuss with our organs.”
In a related development, the federal government has described as illegal the proposed indefinite strike by organized labour.
On Sunday, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, appealed to the workers’ unions to shelve the strike.
In a letter dated 1 June and addressed to the National President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, and TUC’s National President, Festus Osifo, Fagbemi said, “the strike action by organised Labour is premature.”
He faulted the planned industrial action on the grounds that the federal government and other employers of labour involved in a tripartite committe to determine a new minimum wage had not declared an end to negotiation.
Referencing some sections of the Trade Dispute Act 2004, the justice minister said the law requires the NLC and TUC to “issue mandatory strike notices of a minimum of 15 days.”
According to the AG, the legitimacy of the proposed strike is called to question by the fact that the Labour unions failed to comply with “statutory conditions precedent.”
He further reminded the labour leaders that the strike is at variance with an order of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria where issues on fuel subsidy removal by President Bola Tinubu the attendant consequences are being adjudicated on.
The minister said the government took measures including wage award and provision of CNG-powered vehicles for public transportation to “ameliorate the adverse consequences” of fuel subsidy removal.
While assuring the labour unions of government’s commitment to conciliatory approach to resolving disputes concerning citizen’s welfare, Mr Fagbemi said, “I would like to urge you to kindly reconsider the declaration of strike action and return to the ongoing negotiation meetings.”
