Minimum wage: Labour suspends strike

Minimum wage: Labour suspends strike
From: FRANCIS AWOWOLE-BROWNE and MOLLY KILETE, Abuja
Thursday, November 11, 2010

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Labour, yesterday deferred to President Goodluck Jonathan and suspended its nationwide warning strike embarked upon over perceived non-commitment of the Federal Government to the implementation of the N18, 000 new national minimum wage. The action paralyzed economic activities at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and across the nation, as most businesses were closed with civil servants staying off work.

Banks, departments and agencies were also under lock. However, some banks were seeing carrying out skeletal services later in the day. Also, motorists were seen queuing up at filing stations that were opened for business.

Public Schools were also deserted as teachers stayed off their duties. Some of the pupils who obviously thought the strike would not hold as rumoured late Tuesday evening were caught in the action as they had to trek back home.
Indications that the warning strike would be effective emerged early in the day when all vehicular traffic-prone roads in areas like Kubwa-Suleija Road, Airport Road as well as Mararaba-Nyaya-Karu Road, all in the outskirt of the city, were almost empty. However, major markets within Abuja were busy as civil servants capitalized on the strike to do their shopping. At Wuse main market, Utako, it was business as usual, even busier than other days.

At the hospitals visited by the Daily Sun, normal medical services were being carried out. At Gwarimpa and Wuse General Hospitals, nurses and doctors were seen attending to patients. Announcing the suspension after a meeting of their National Executive Council (NEC), both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) leaders said the action was being put on hold because of the desired attention the issue has drawn from various organs of government. It noted particularly, the role of the National Assembly in giving assurances that the matter will be expeditiously dealt with once brought before it.

However, there were reports that the organized labour had suspendend the action after late night meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, before whom the labour leaders were said to have promised that the action would be put on hold.

The President reportedly told the unionists that already the Federal government was paying N17, 100 and that the demanded N18, 000 would not be a difficulot task for him to implement once the processes are in place.
Acting President of the NLC, Promise Adewusi and TUC President-General, Peter Esele explained further that purpose of calling for the warning strike had been achieved which was to call the attention of the authority to the lingering issue “having lost precious time on the issue of a new national minimum wage.”

They stated that they were waiting for the council of state meeting fixed for November 25 so that the issue will be finalized and the bill forwarded to the National Assembly. The labour leaders however warned that any further failure to start the process after the Council of State meeting will not attract any ultimatum from labour before commencing a full action. Besides, they noted that they would not accept any amount lesser than the agreed N18, 000.

Therefore, the labour will be meeting on first week in December to assess the situation and review the position of the National Council of State. They alleged that some governors were working behind the scene to thwart the efforts at getting the new minimum wage. Some other governors, leaders of the Congresses disclosed that they feigned ignorance of the memo sent to them by the New Minimum Wage Committee on its resolution.

Justifying the decision to suspend the action, the labour leaders argued that they were not forced to declare the action and that the decision was motivated by the suffering of the working masses. “This is not an ego trip, we mean what we are doing and we are serious about it. Once we have reason to embark on strike we do and when we have reason to suspend it we do”

Adewusi, while commending Nigerians for the peaceful observance of the strike lamented that a member of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Ehikioyas Godwin, was shot by an anti-riot Policeman in Benin, Edo state during a peaceful rally. He said the NLC will be petitioning the Presidency and the Inspector-General of Police, over the shooting and called for the immediate prosecution of the policemen who the labour leader alleged bought his escape through and Arik air to Lagos from Benin.

“We condemned in very strong term the unprovoked shooting of the Edo State Chairman of NUATE who was shot by a policeman earlier today in Benin. We call on the Inspector General of Police to order the immediate arrest, dismissal and prosecution of the officer who carried out the act”, he stated