Organised Labour has suspended the seven days warning strike it called to protest the indefinite adjournment of the meetings of the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage and to compel government to reconvene the meeting with a view to concluding its assignment.
The Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige had at a meeting of the tripartite committee on the 5th of September said that the government needed more time for consultation before arriving at a figure for the committee to consider and thereafter, the meeting adjourned indefinitely, a position that angered organised labour.
A 14-day ultimatum issued by Organised Labour made up of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union of Nigeria (TUC) and the United Labour Congress (ULC) for government t to reconvene the committee failed to achieve the purpose, forcing labour to ask workers to stay at home till further notice.
However, the Chief to the President, Abba Kyari was said to have invited the leadership of labour to a meeting at the Presidential Villa with a view to finding out what led to the strike.
Announcing the suspension of the warning strike, yesterday, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said organised labour has received a firm and formal invitation to a reconvened meeting of the tripartite committee scheduled for 4th and 5th of October, 2018.
He said the leadership of organised labour, however, insisted that the two-day meeting would be the final session of the committee and that a final report will be submitted to Mr. President immediately.
Wabba, flanked by other leaders of organised labour said “you may wish to recall that four days ago, we informed you that organised labour was embarking on a warning strike as from Thursday, September 26, 2018, after our 14-day ultimatum to government to reconvene the meeting and conclude the work of the Tripartite National Minimum Wage Committee elapsed.
“Indeed, on Thursday morning, the strike action commenced and was observed across the country. We wish to appreciate our workers and affiliate unions for their commitment and determination. We similarly commend members of the press for their vigorous and comprehensive reportage of the strike action. We thank all Nigerians for their support.
“We invite you here today to inform you that we have received a firm and formal invitation to a reconvened meeting of the tripartite committee scheduled for 4‘“ and 5th of October, 2018. We demand that this shall be the final session of the committee and that a final report will be submitted to Mr. President immediately.
“In order to avail the committee the necessary conducive environment to hold this crucial meeting and conclude its work, organized labour has, after obtaining the mandate of their necessary organs, decided to suspend the strike action with effect from today, Sunday September 30th, 2018.
“Once again, our commendations and appreciation go to you all who have been with us in this struggle. We urge all our unions and state councils to maintain a high level of mobilization and readiness until the struggle for a reasonable minimum wage is achieved.”
Reacting, SERAP, in a statement, yesterday by its Deputy Director, Timothy Adewale said, “The minimum wage of N18,000 for Nigerian workers stands in sharp contrast with outrageous and sometimes illegal salaries and allowances of high-ranking public officials who continue to enjoy lavish lifestyles with impunity.
“Paid so little, already vulnerable Nigerian workers are left in a precarious situation, unable to ensure a decent standard of living for themselves and their families, with access to water, health, and education seriously undermined.
“Paying workers N18,000 minimum wage is tantamount to labour exploitation and ‘normalization of poverty’, and if urgent action is not taken to reverse it, will continue to drive Nigeria’s poorest families deeper into poverty.
“Having an exploited labour force will also exacerbate incidents of bribery and petty corruption and undermine access of marginalized sector of the population to essential public services such as water, health and education.
“As the government marks Nigeria’s 58th Independence Day, now is the time for it to choose between spending billions of naira to fund the lavish lifestyles of billionaire politicians or lifting millions of Nigerian workers out of poverty by ensuring that the national minimum wage is set at a level sufficient to provide all workers and their families with a decent standard of living.
“Successive governments have demonstrated scant respect for the fundamental human right of Nigerian workers to a just remuneration while at the same time increasing salaries and allowances of high-ranking public officials including members of the National Assembly, state governors and ministers.
“This not only violates the country’s international human rights obligations but undermines its international commitment to provide an adequate living wage for ordinary workers that ensures an existence worthy of human dignity.
“Buhari only last week in the US described the ‘working poor’ and ordinary Nigerians as his ‘constituency’. He now has to provide bold leadership to improve conditions for this marginalized sector of the population by publicly supporting a just remuneration for Nigerian workers to allow them to lead a decent life. His government can make this a reality by pushing to recover stolen assets and other illicit wealth by public officials and institutions since the return of democracy in 1999.”

Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja