BREAKING! Labour Calls Off Planned Nationwide Strike As FG To Pay N30,000

After a prolonged tripartite meeting over the minimum wage debacle, the organized labour has agreed to suspend its planned nationwide strike.

The call off is coming as the tripartite Committee set up by the Federal Government has agreed on N30,000 new minimum wage, Vanguard is reporting.

Chairperson of the committee and former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Ms Ama Pepple spoke on the development Monday night.

She however said the government had earlier pleaded with labour to call off its planned strike.

“There is no stalemate. We have finished and we have signed it but we are insisting that the strike must be called off.

She said that both the initial figure that the federal government recommended which was N20, 700 and the new N30, 000 would be forwarded to the President.

“We put them together in a basket and came up with four scenarios, we worked with one of the scenarios and that was how we agreed on that N24, 000 and N30, 000 respectively”, said Ms Pepple.

Asked on what the committee was going to submit, she said both figures would be forwarded to the president.

Labour and Employment Minister, Chris Ngige said the committee was working to secure an appointment with President Muhammadu Buhari over the development.

He added that its resolution would be passed to the Federal Executive Council, then the National Economic Council and later the National Council of State after which the president would initiate an Executive Bill to be transmitted yo the National Assembly.

He said; “We are making progress. The governors’ figure should be the figure of the federal government. We are just trying to carry them along. That is why we made the discussions ‘tripartite plus’. It is just because we want to carry them along, otherwise the federal government speaks for governments.

“Yes, the figures are standing but we know that there are other processes. It has to go through the Federal Executive Council, the National Executive Council and the National Council of State, then an Executive Bill will be transmitted to the National Assembly”.

Asked if the two figures would pass through those processes, he said; “Yes, because the federal government figure is noted and is also weighty because it says that it depends on the ability to pay, affordability and sustainability.

“Labour are quiet satisfied, we are doing the needful, we have passed the rubicon. The only aspect of it now that we need to do is to fix an appointment for the handing over of the report to Mr President.