Nationwide strike is imminent on Wednesday, October 16 as talks between the organized labour and the Federal Government has collapsed.
The follows failure by both parties to reach a truce on the terms for the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage signed into law on April 18.
But, Nigeria’s Labour and Employment Minister, Chris Ngige, has described the proposed strike by organised labour as an attempt to intimidate the government.
A report monitored from TVC NEWS, Lagos said the stalemate ensued as meeting by both sides could stave off the showdown, action which will either result in the suspension of its planned industrial action on Wednesday or make it happen.
At the resumed negotiations chaired by Senator Ngige, which had representatives of the labour movement in attendance, both the government team and the workers failed to shift their positions.
The expectation that either of the sides would agree to a new proposal for the consequential adjustment on the minimum wage did not materialise, at least as at the time their meeting ended.
The government was still maintaining its position to offer 11 per cent for workers on grade levels 7-14 and 6.5 per cent for those on grade levels 15-17, while labour remained insistent that it should be 29 per cent for grade 7-14 workers and 24 per cent for 15-17 workers.
Speaking to journalists on the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting, Mr. Amechi Asugwuni, the Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said the matter was not yet resolved.
Asugwuni said the meeting was a consultative one, which afforded labour the opportunity to present its position to the minister and other officials of government.
He stated that the meeting was meant to present labour’s position, which will enable the government to decide.
He said: “The meeting took into consideration the essential issues about the minimum wage that is still pending. With the consultation, we were able to share information with the Minister of Labour and Employment in order to ensure the success of tomorrow (today) meeting.
“We believe that the federal government will do the needful because ours is a straight forward proposal. We have made our proposal to the federal government before now and government is to respond. We believe that by tomorrow, we will get the federal government feedback and know the next thing to do.”
Asugwuni said yesterday’s meeting afforded labour the opportunity to submit all the facts that the government needed to take informed decision on the full implementation of the minimum wage.
He, however, said that the organised labour would not accept anything that is not reasonable.
“Labour will not tolerate anything short of reasonable adjustment in the ongoing negotiations,” he said.
The NLC chief said the government team would also meet later yesterday ahead of today’s meeting which he hoped would help break the deadlock.
Asugwuni said the consequential adjustment was a matter of percentage, which requires give and take principle, adding, that labour has shifted ground beyond expectation.
According to him, “What government needs to do is to reciprocate by doing what is needful to appreciate the workers. We are talking about compensation, salary and legitimate compensation for work done.
“Inasmuch as we believe in the consequential adjustment, it has to be reasonable. Otherwise, people will feel neglected. Tuesday (today)’s meeting is the benchmark for labour action but mobilisation continues. The meeting will tell us the way forward because anything can happen.”
Earlier, while welcoming the labour leaders to the meeting, Ngige had appealed to them to show understanding of the government’s position.
However, at a meeting with the leadership of the National Union of Local Government Employees, the Minister said government is reviewing 12 wage structures for public and civil servants.
The Union President, Ibrahim Khaleel urged the government to accede to workers demand regarding the consequential adjustment of minimum wage.
But Mr. Ngige accused labour leaders of misleading the workers since the issue at hand is not the holistic review of minimum wage but consequential adjustment.
He queried all manner of allowances including hazard and constituency being taken by state governors.
Meanwhile, Festus Keyamo, the minister of State for Labour and Employment, has appealed to workers to shelve the planned strike and allow negotiations to continue.
