Presidency Appeals To Labour To Call Off Strike, To Meet Next Thursday

The Presidency has stepped up efforts to convince labor unions in the country to call off their strike.

The call was made by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President, on Media and Publicity, on Friday.

Shehu appealed to the leadership of labour unions to end the industrial action following the earlier meeting at which the government accepted their demand to reconvene the tripartite meeting on the proposed new national minimum wage.

The Presidency also fixed next Thursday, October 4th, to meet with representatives of employers of labor from across the country.

On Thursday, the Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari, presided over the closed door meeting with organized labour led by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba.

The NLC had on Wednesday directed all its members and affiliate unions to commence a nationwide strike on Thursday following alleged failure, of the Federal Government to reconvene the meeting of the tripartite national minimum wage committee to enable it to conclude its assignment.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige had on Wednesday in Abuja also met with the organised labour and the meeting ended in a deadlock.

“The meeting between the labor leadership and the representatives of the employers of labor is now scheduled to reconvene on Thursday 4th October,” Shehu said.

“By its tripartite nature, the committee is made up of persons from the public sector, (Federal and State Governments) and the private sector made up of the largest private employer group and the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA).

“Other members include the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES).

“Invitation letters have since been dispatched to all the participants. At the moment, the Presidency understands that the combined leadership of the unions, having met and deliberated on the position of the government have now set in motion a process of consultations with their constituent members to determine their next line of action.

“The Presidency wishes to assure that the federal government is taking every step necessary to get the unions to call off the strike.”