Labour leaders absent at FG’s meeting on minimum wage

Leaders of the organised labour failed to attend the meeting the federal government convened to continue negotiations on minimum wage.

Chris Ngige, minister of labour, had announced that the meeting would hold on Sunday despite the court injunction restraining organised labour from embarking on strike.

“The conciliation meeting involving the Organised Labour, the Organised Private Sector and Government scheduled for Sunday, November 4 at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation by 6pm is still on course and will hold,’’ Ngige had said in a statement.

On Friday, the National Industrial Court had ordered the organised labour not to go ahead with the nationwide strike scheduled for November 6.

Sanusi Kado, a judge, gave the order in a ruling on an ex parte application moved on behalf of the federal government by Dayo Apata, solicitor-general of the federation and permanent secretary, ministry of justice.

The judge thereafter fixed November 8 for the hearing of the main suit.

Ngige said this would be followed by another meeting of the national tripartite minimum wage committee meeting on Monday.

The minister appealed to all stakeholders to attend the meetings in the interest of the nation and finding a solution to the minimum wage impasse.

But only government officials were at the office of Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), when the meeting was supposed to commence.

Ngige was at the meeting and so also was Zainab Ahmed, his finance counterpart.

Labour had demanded an upward review of the minimum wage from N18,000 to N30,000 but the federal government proposed N24,000 while governors suggested N22,500.

Labour rejected the proposals and, accusing the government of not showing any sign of seriousness to resolve the workers’ welfare.