The meeting between the leadership of the National Assembly, the Executive Arm of government, the Organised Labour, and the Nigeria Labour Congress ended in deadlock after four hours of discussions on Sunday.
This meeting had been arranged in an attempt to avert a proposed national strike over the yet-to-be-approved minimum wage for workers.
Initiated by the leadership of the National Assembly, the meeting aimed to address the concerns of the labour unions and prevent the impending industrial action. However, despite the efforts, no agreement was reached.
Following the unsuccessful negotiations, Festus Osifo, President of the Trade Union Congress, explained the situation, emphasizing their inability to unilaterally call off the strike. He stated, “There was an appeal from the Senate President to call off the strike. On our part, we said we cannot sit here and just call off the strike because we need to report to our people. We will take all their pleas to our organs. For now, we don’t have the powers to call off the strike.”
Osifo highlighted that the decision to suspend the strike could not be made without consulting with their respective bodies, underscoring the procedural requirements that must be followed before any final decision is taken.