CITIZENS COMPASS –The Federal Government of Nigeria on Monday, hurriedly proposed an emergency meeting with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) following the impact of the industrial action which has commenced across the country.
The Government proposed the meeting through the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) which summoned a meeting of the tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage.
The meeting is slated for Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 10a.m.
This is just as the striking workers shut down the Alausa Secretariat in Ikeja Lagos State.
The workers also shut down some other offices across the country in compliance with the strike.
The Federal Government had on May 31, 2024, met with organised labour but the negotiating team of the NLC and TUC walked out following the government and organised private sector, OPS, refusal to go beyond the N60,000 they had earlier offered.
According to sources, the government is alarmed at the level of compliance and participation by workers on the first day of the indefinite nationwide strike.
Meanwhile, the unions shut down the country’s electricity industry in compliance with the strike order.
Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Dominic Igwebike, confirmed the development on Monday.
On the list of the industrial action was the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) which has suspended its activities except all loaded trucks which were allowed to leave the depots, including aviation terminals, for safety purposes.
According to a labour leader, “We don’t want to keep a loaded truck within the depot because it is highly flammable.”
However, Vanguard was informed that all loaded trucks were allowed to leave the depots, including aviation terminals, for safety purposes.
An official of the Union said that besides Lagos ports, all other port formations in Port Harcourt, Warri, Onne, Calabar, and others have been closed.
According to the official, they would remain shut until further notice from the national leadership of organised labour.
The same scenario is playing out in other sectors across the country, including FCT.
Workers shuts down water supply to National Assembly
Members of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) have stopped the supply of water to the National Assembly in compliance with the ongoing indefinite strike initiated by the organised labour.
PASAN which is an affiliate of NIC temporarily suspended electricity and water supply to the two structures accommodating the Senate and the House of Representatives, along with other amenities within the National Assembly compound.
Recall that the NLC and TUC had given a May 31, 2024 ultimatum on the new minimum wage.
