The federal government Monday appealed to the Organised Labour to return to the negotiation table with the tripartite committee set up to fashion out a new and realistic minimum wage for the Nigerian workers.
The appeal followed the latest parley between the leaders of the Nigerian workers and the federal government at the instance of the Senate which was deadlocked after hours of intrigues over the new minimum wage and the grueling electricity tariff hike squabble.
The meeting between the National Assembly leadership and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress(TUC) presided over by the President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Tajuddeen Abbas, aimed to persuade labour to shelve its planned strike action over minimum wage demands ended without a resolution.
Despite appeals from Senator Akpabio, the TUC President, Festus Osifo, stated that the strike would commence as planned, pending discussions with their organs.
“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,” Osifo told newsmen after the meeting.
The meeting was attended by top government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Budget and National Planning.
…Let’s return to negotiation, FG begs
Addressing journalists in Abuja Monday, the minister of information and national orientation Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said the government was desirous of a peaceful outcome from the negotiation.
“As Government, we are desirous of a peaceful outcome, and we will do everything to make this happen. Yesterday, the leadership of the National Assembly met with the Unions. Today, we have offered another invitation to the Unions, to meet with us and continue our discussions.
“We will continue to engage, and continue to make ourselves very available in the context of these negotiations on behalf of the Nigerian people
“Let me make it clear that we are not opponents on this negotiating table. We are united by the fact that we want the best for the Federal Republic of Nigeria and for all 200 million citizens of the country.
“We have a responsibility to strike a measured and realistic balance, in this effort to arrive at a new minimum wage for Nigerians,” he said.
The minister, while appealing to organised labour to be considerate, said the N494, 000 proposal by labour is an increase of 1,547 percent on the existing wage.
“The minimum wage is not only for public sector workers. It will be binding on the private sector as well. This reality must be factored into the negotiations.
“As I have explained earlier, Labour’s current proposal of N494,000 is an increase of 1,547 percent on the existing wage, and translates into an annual wage bill of 9.5 Trillion Naira for the federal government of Nigeria alone.
“This is apart from its cost implications for subnational governments and private sector employees. Such a wage bill would cripple the Nigerian economy, by leading to massive job losses especially in the private sector,” he said.
Idris noted that the National Consumer Credit Scheme and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) were additional significant demonstrations of a determination of the federal government to bring relief to the people of Nigeria.
“We want the Labour Unions to understand that the relief that Nigerians are expecting, and that they fully deserve, will not come only in the form of increased wages. It will also come as efforts to reduce the cost of living, and to ensure that more money stays in the pockets of Nigerians.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is firmly committed to doing what is right, reasonable and sustainable regarding these minimum wage negotiations. We call on the Labour Unions to reciprocate this gesture in the interest of the nation,” he said
…Airports shut, passengers groan
Meanwhile, airline passengers, airports businesses as well as those of maritime across the country were worst affected as entrance into their facilities were put under lock and key by officials of affiliate bodies belonging to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that embarked on indefinite strike to press home the demand for wage increase.
Also, flight operations across were grounded with business activities at major airports grounded on Monday in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and other cities as no operations were allowed to take place by the striking unions.
In Lagos, the quartet of ATSSSAN, ANAP, NAAPE and NUATE locked down the General Aviation Terminal One and the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal II (MMA2), resulting in passengers lamenting the ways and manners representatives of government have handled the salary issues with the NLC.
Leaders of the bodies disclosed that attention would be shifted to the international wings of the airports on Tuesday.
Secretary of ATSSSAN, Mr. Francis Akinjole, said activities at the international wing would be grounded beginning on Tuesday.
He warned passengers to return to using other means of transportation as feelers showed that the strike may linger more than necessary.
“We just do not have any choice than to embark on what we are doing and it is clear. If the federal government signs the new minimum wage today we will leave but if they do not we are starting here today as the commencement day,” he said.
Lagos secretariat grounded
Similarly, leaders and members of the Lagos state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday shut the gate of the state secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, cordoning off the entire premises from workers gaining access.
The striking workers gathered as early as 7.30 am and locked the access gates into the secretariat, thereby, preventing vehicular movement into the premises.
It action was being supervised by armed security personnel of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS of the Lagos State Police Command, to prevent any possible breakdown of law and order or possible hijack by miscreants.
One of the workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said though he reported for work despite warning by the union leaders circulated earlier via a platform just to see if he could gain access but was prevented.
The state chairman of the NLC, Mrs Funmi Sessi, was seen directing officers to effectively man the gates and prevent any recalcitrant worker or motorist from entering the premises.
Anambra: Bank customers stranded
Our correspondent in Anambra reports that bank customers were left stranded while other business activities were however going on, at skeletal basis following the NLC’s indefinite strike.
It was gathered that bank customers in Awka, the state capital, were found hanging at the gates of the facilities due to the ongoing industrial action.
Many civil servants at the Government House, state and federal secretariats went to their offices just as other private institutions, including primary and secondary schools attended classes.
But when contacted, the state chairman of the NLC, Comrade Humphrey Nwafor, argued that the strike action recorded 99 percent compliance in the state.
“We went to the Federal secretariat and locked the entrance gate. We also locked the gate at the state secretariat, and, there is no civil servant at work there. As I am speaking to you were are coming out from the state House of Assembly, and, we have locked the gate of the complex, and, also, the state Judiciary complex.
“We are going to the Governor House, also. So, there is 99 percent compliance with the industrial strike in the state, it is only the one percent remaining that we are moving round to make sure that they comply”, the Anambra state NLC state chairman stated further,” he noted.
Oyo
Members of the organised labour on Monday shut down the Oyo state government secretariat at Agodi, as well as the federal secretariat at Ikolaba area of Ibadan.
Also, schools, banks across Oyo state complied with the stay at home directive of the Nigerian Labour Union and the Trade Union Congress on the indefinite strike over the new minimum wage and hike in electricity tariff.
At the University of Ibadan, academic and administrative activities were completely paralysed as members of the institution’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and non-academic staff stayed away from work.
When our reporter visited the Oyo state government secretariat at Agodi, members of organised labour were sighted at the main entrance to the secretariat monitoring the level of compliance with the strike.
Speaking on the strike, the state chairman of TUC, Comrade Bosun Olaniyi Agoro disclosed that the strike directive was in line with the organised labour union’s national leadership mandate to have its cardinal points addressed by the federal government to bring down inflation and undue economic policies.
Comrade Agora stressed that despite the fact that Governor Seyi Makinde “is a worker-friendly personality, there is the need for him to speak with his colleagues across the country to jointly appeal to President Bola Tinubu to as a matter of urgency accede the workers-public demand to call off the just begun indefinite strike.”
Kebbi
The NLC/TUC in Kebbi state is optimistic that, as a veteran labour leader, Governor Nasir Idris will exert his influence in resolving the ongoing strike action by workers nationwide.
The state deputy chairman of the Congress, Comrade Kailani AbdulWaliyu, made the remark in Birnin Kebbi Monday at a news briefing flanked by the chairman of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Comrade Atiku Alkali.
“Comrade Nasir Idris has left the state for Abuja to address the issue. We know him to speak the truth, he is our leader and mentor, his action will facilitate the process of resolution. This is a struggle, he will not compromise”, Comrade Kailani said.
He announced the setting up of a strike enforcement committee drawing membership from the NLC and TUC to ensure compliance with the directive of the National Headquarters of the NLC for total action.
All ministries, schools, majority of financial institutions including banks in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, were under lock and key in obedience to the strike action.
Cross River: Activities grounded
The industrial action declared by the national leadership of the NLC and TUC paralysed economic activities in Calabar, the Cross River state capital.
Our reporter, who went round the Calabar metropolis for the on-the-spot assessment of the strike, observed that government offices, banks, petrol stations, government schools remained and even the Margaret Ekpo International Airport remain under lock and key.
This may have worsened the already bad fuel situation in the capital as motorists packed their vehicles by the roadside and roamed the streets with jerrycans looking for where to buy fuel.
Passengers in their numbers were seen along major Streets, like the Murtala Muhammed highway, waiting for hours for taxi or minibuses to convey them to their destinations. Students were driven away by angry teachers.
Addressing journalists, the NLC chairman in the state, Comrade Greg Olayi, said the state chapter was all out to ensure the strike succeeds optimally.
“We just left the office of the Head of Service (HoS), couple of minutes ago to ensure that there is compliant with directive of the national.
“Apart from those on essential duties like fire service and others we expect total compliance. We are moving round to ensure that every one adheres to the directives of our national body,” he stated.
JUSUN storms courts in Abuja
Court activities around the Third Arms Zone, especially at the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Federal High Court, FCT High Court and the Appeal Court were in shambles as the institutions were under lock and key on Monday.
The action was in compliance with the directives by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC)’s directive.
The organised labour defied all court orders and federal government advances to embark on the strike after the negotiations between them and the government over the minimum wage of workers and reduction in electricity tariff among other demands was deadlocked.
Although the private security operatives were seen manning their posts with other police officers around the gate leading to the courts, it was a bad day for lawyers, litigants, who were either coming to file their cases or to appear in court as they were barred from accessing the court.
The organised labour it would be recalled made real its threat to shutdown the country via strike actions should the federal government fail to meet their demands..
JUSUN members who had already positioned themselves outside the heavily locked gates were seen diverting litigants and other workers away from the court premises.
One of them was quoted as telling a lawyer at the Federal High Court: “We are on strike sir.”
Report from the National Judicial Institute (NJI) indicated that a Biennial National Workshop on Child Justice Administration slated for Monday was hurriedly cancelled by the management.