Upon confirmation from a credible source, it has been disclosed that labour leaders have made their way to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation’s office for a private meeting with representatives from the government on Monday.
The source specified, “We are currently awaiting the arrival of the government representatives within the SGF office premises for our scheduled meeting.”
Details regarding the identity of the government representatives expected to engage with the labour leaders have not been disclosed as of the time of this report.
Reports from NewsNow indicate that certain unions have closed their operations in adherence to the directive issued by the two labour unions to initiate an indefinite nationwide strike.
Last Friday, the organised labour groups announced their intention to commence a nationwide indefinite strike due to the Federal Government’s refusal to agree to an increase in the proposed minimum wage of N60,000.
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, stated that the strike is set to kick off at midnight on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
In a joint statement delivered by Ajaero and his counterpart from the Trade Union Congress, Festus Osifo, they expressed their deep concerns and dissatisfaction with the Federal Government’s failure to finalize and pass a new National Minimum Wage Act.
It is worth recalling that both unions had set a negotiation deadline of May 31, 2024, for discussions on the new minimum wage.
Unfortunately, discussions between organised labour and the Federal Government collapsed on Tuesday following the presentation of offers by both parties.
The government adjusted its initial offer of N57,000 by including an additional N3,000, raising it to N60,000. However, this revised proposal was rejected by the labour representatives during the meeting.
During the negotiations at the meeting, the labour group also revised their demand from the previous week’s proposal of N497,000 by subtracting N3,000, resulting in a new proposal of N494,000.
Further details will be provided subsequently.