Vice-President Namadi Sambo and state governors will meet on Monday (today) over the impending three-day warning strike by workers.
The strike, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, is intended to protest the delay in the implementation of the N18, 000 new minimum wage by the Federal Government.
THE PUNCH learnt from a top union leader on Sunday that labour leaders had been invited to Abuja for the meeting with Sambo and the governors in order to resolve the problem before Wednesday.
The source, who did not want to be named because he was not authorised to speak to journalists on the issue, is one of those invited to the meeting.
He explained that the vice-president had to step in when the meeting between the labour leaders and the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, ended in a deadlock on Friday.
The source said, “Nothing came out of the meeting with the minister. As a matter of fact, the matter has gone beyond the Minister of Labour. There is a meeting with the vice-president on Monday (today).”
When contacted, Wogu could not confirm whether or not the labour leaders would meet with Sambo.
“I am not sure of the meeting you are talking about. I am not in the vice-president’s office. The only meeting that might be holding on Monday is that of the technical committee.”
The technical committee chaired by Sambo was constituted during the National Council of State meeting in Abuja on Thursday.
The council, which comprises the President, the vice-president, past Nigerian leaders and governors, had deferred a decision on the implementation of the minimum wage, citing ‘technical and practical issues’ as reasons.
Although the NCS said it was “sympathetic to the idea (payment of the N18,000 minimum wage),” it mandated the Sambo-led committee to study the ‘technical and practical issues’ and submit its report in two weeks.
Wogu, however, refuted the claim that the meeting he had with the labour leaders on Friday was unproductive.
According to him, the meeting was convened to acquaint the labour leaders with the outcome of the NCS meeting.
He said, “The purpose of the meeting was to relay the outcome of the meeting of the National Council of State. So no one can say that the meeting ended in futility.
“Right now, the council has constituted a technical committee to address the issue and that is the highest council in the country. Why will they not be satisfied with that?”
According to him, the only immediate solution to the ‘problem’ is for the labour leaders to show some understanding.
He added, “There is a solution but the labour leaders have to show some understanding. If they are fighting for the people, they should at least do it genuinely.
“The technical committee has been given two weeks to submit its report. They should understand that this thing cannot be done in a day because it has to pass through the National Assembly.”
The Nigeria Labour Congress Secretary-General, Mr. John Odah, however, confirmed that labour leaders had been invited to a meeting in Abuja today.
Odah, who also insisted that the strike would go on as planned, said the labour leaders were not told the reason for the meeting.
He said, “Yes, we have been invited to attend the inaugural meeting of the council of state’s committee headed by the vice-president. We don’t honestly know why we are being invited, since we are not members. Going there as spectators is obviously not going to help in resolving anything.”
Odah also expressed displeasure that the government was prevaricating on the implementation of the minimum wage more than one year after it was jointly agreed on.
He, therefore, hoped the President would “see through the apparently reluctant governors and throw his enormous weight behind the suffering Nigerian workers.”
Odah said, “It is sad that up till this moment, we do not have anything substantial on the table to warrant our not going ahead with the warning strike.
“We note Mr. President’s call for dialogue. If the President calls for dialogue, we won’t disregard such a call.
“Our position is that we have a tripartite agreement in which state governments were represented on the negotiating table. Private employers represented by their umbrella bodies were also part of the agreement.”
When contacted, Sambo’s media aide, Mr. Sani Usara, confirmed that the vice-president would attend the meeting of the National Council on Minimum Wage on Monday (today) in Abuja.
The NLC had on Thursday raised an 11-member committee to mobilise workers for the strike.
A vice-chairman of the congress, Mr. Promise Adewusi, who heads the committee, told journalists in Abuja that TUC was firm in its determination to ensure the implementation of the new wage.
The TUC and NLC had on Friday accused the Federal Government of ‘technically repudiating’ the National Minimum Wage Agreement.
TUC President-General, Mr. Peter Esele, who also spoke with our correspondent on Sunday, said the strike would go on as planned except the government did something between Monday(today).
Esele said the NLC and the TUC would not wait for the outcome of the Sambo-led committee’s report.
President Goodluck Jonathan had, on Saturday, said the Federal Government was ready to discuss with labour unions to avert nationwide strike.
According to Jonathan, the council had agreed to meet in three weeks’ time because of the urgency of the matter.
The President noted that there was the need for due consultation to be made over the matter because of the involvement of the private sector.
He also said there was a need for the National Assembly to pass a bill into law to make the implementation hitch-free.
source;punch
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