Full List: Akpabio, Abbas, Gbajabimila, Edun, Akume, Others At Govt’s Meeting With Organised Labour

The National Assembly leadership have commenced an emergency meeting with the executive of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in a bid to stop the planned indefinite workers’ strike scheduled for tomorrow Monday.

Naija News reports that officials of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration, alongside five other ministers, are also present at the meeting.

The emergency meeting was summoned by the Presiding officers of the National Assembly.

Present at the meeting is Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Minister of Finance, Dr Wale Edun, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Nkiruka Onyejiocha, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan.

The Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Labour, Employment and Productivity respectively, Diket Plang, and Adegboyega Adefarati.

The president of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, the president of TUC, Festus Osifo and members of their national executive were also present at the meeting.

Naija News reports that the decision of the Organised Labour followed the deadlock between the Federal Government and the unions over a new national minimum wage and reversal of the recent hike in electricity tariffs.

The labour unions had said the current minimum wage of ₦30,000 can no longer cater to the wellbeing of an average Nigerian worker, lamenting that not all governors are paying the current wage award which expired in April 2024, five years after the Minimum Wage Act of 2019 was signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari. The Act should be reviewed every five years to meet up with contemporary economic demands of workers.

Labour later handed the Federal Government a May 31 deadline for the a new minimum wage. On May 31, the workers’ union in the country declared a nationwide strike beginning from Monday, June 3, 2024 over the government committee’s inability to agree on a new minimum wage and reversal of electricity tariff hike.