The leadership of the organised labour meets today (Monday) to discuss the N35,000 provisional wage increase which the federal government approved yesterday for all treasury-paid federal workers for six months.
The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, stated this in an interview with journalists yesterday after a meeting with the government delegation led by the chief of staff to the president, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila.
Ajaero said the organised labour could not unilaterally shelve the indefinite strike it scheduled for October 3 without recourse to its organs.
“I don’t have much to say than what the chief of staff has said. We’ve been meeting and we’ve looked at almost all the issues, all the promissory notes from the government and we’ll look at how to translate them to reality and to be workable.
“Then, we’re going to take those promises to our organs. Of course, you know these people here cannot just wake up and review and call off action.
“So, we are hopeful that our organs will have a look at them and give us a fresh mandate on what next to do. So, it’s a simple one,” Ajaero said.
The acting president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr Tommy Okon, who also addressed journalists, said the labour would meet its organs today to review the outcomes of the meeting with the government delegation.
He added that the team from the organised labour would return for another meeting today.
“Let me, on behalf of the TUC, also point out to the fact that we have had series of conversations surrounding the issue raised and we do hope that by tomorrow (today), we are going to get across to our organs so that we can also look at it and cross-fertilize ideas and see the way forward. I am sure we are coming back again tomorrow (today) for that,” he said.
Earlier while addressing journalists on the outcome of the meeting, Gbajabiamila said Tinubu had accepted the organised labours demand that the wage award should be across board.
“We’ve been at a closed door meeting with labor and government side since three o’clock. So, it’s been about four-hour meeting.
“A lot of issues were addressed, issues that concern the Nigerian worker, the average Nigerian worker. I can’t begin to reel them out here. But I am happy to say that after four hours, we have reached certain agreements…for the benefit of the Nigerian worker.
“Agreements on wage bill, agreements on committees on salary increment, CNG buses, on several other things, I believe, both TUC Labour and government side?
“Hopefully, we expect that Labour will call a meeting of their various branches and executive tomorrow to present the agreements that have been reached, and we pray and we believe and we hope that the strike will be called off on Tuesday.
“So, I want to once again, thank labour for taking time out on a good Sunday like this one when they should be with their families to come and discuss in the interest of the workers,” he said.
Making clarification on the N25, 000 provisional wage increase he said: “There was a lot of chatter on Twitter about the issue of low-income workers only falling into the category of the wage bill.
“There was a lot of chatter on Twitter about the issue of low income workers only falling into the category of the provisional wage increase. And we did communicate with the president and he quickly did say and agreed that all categories of workers will be given the wage bill; there is nothing like low income, median income or high income. I think that it was worthy of clarification.”
