Samuel Adesola, Abuja
Following the shocking success of the first day of the ongoing indefinite nationwide strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, the Federal Government, on Monday, pleaded with the leaders of the unions not to abandon negotiations.
This is coming as labour leaders are currently at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for a closed-door meeting with government representatives.
On Monday, various affiliates of both the NLC and the TUC shut down the national power grid, airports, banks, courts, schools, among others, across the country.
NLC and TUC had last Friday declared an indefinite strike over Federal Government’s refusal to increase the minimum wage from N60,000.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, in a statement on Monday evening, appealed to the unions to continue along the path of negotiations with the Federal and State Governments.
He stated that negotiations should continue under the auspices of the Tripartite Committee “that has been established to fashion out a new, realistic minimum wage for the Nigerian people.”
The statement partly read, “As Government, we are desirous of a peaceful outcome, and we will do everything to make this happen. Yesterday, the leadership of the National Assembly met with the Unions. Today, we have offered another invitation to the Unions, to meet with us and continue our discussions.
“We will continue to engage, and continue to make ourselves very available in the context of these negotiations on behalf of the Nigerian people
“Let me make it clear that we are not opponents on this negotiating table. We are united by the fact that we want the best for the Federal Republic of Nigeria and for all 200 million citizens of the country.
“We have a responsibility to strike a measured and realistic balance, in this effort to arrive at a new minimum wage for Nigerians.”
