Labour strike: Talks between Unions and government deadlocked

Labour strike: Talks between Unions and Government deadlocked
Rafat Salami, Abuja

Talks between the Nigerian government and the organized labour to avert a nationwide strike are again deadlocked.

After a-two-hour meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Abdulwahed Ibrahim Omar, told journalists that government’s position on implementing the minimum wage had not changed.

The NLC President however said talks would still continue to see how to avert the three day warning strike scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

Mr. Ayim had appealed to the labour unions to shelve the planned strike, saying that government would begin a full implementation of the provisions of the wage act from January next year.

He said government could not implement it because it was not captured in this year’s budget.

Trade unions are scheduled to meet with Gtate Governors on Tuesday.

Implementation disagreements  

Since the new National Minimum Wage was signed into law, on March 23, no tier of government including the private sector has commenced the implementation.

The State Government says that it will implement the new minimum wage if the Federal Government adopts a new sharing formula and begins its implementation.

The private sector on its part says it is waiting for the government to implement the new minimum wage before the sector will begin the implementation.

Williams