Barely 3 hours to the commencement of the Indefinite strike declared by the organized Labour billed for Monday 3rd of June, the unionists have refused to Bulge as all entreaties from the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and The Speaker of the House Representatives Tajudeen Abbas and other stakeholders fell on deaf ears.
Speaking on Behalf of the Organised Labour, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) President Festus Osifo bluntly declared that they have no power to call of the strike as they have the obligation to report back to their NEC.
This was after a harrowing Four hours marathon meeting between the Labour Unions and the National Assembly leadership In the presence of four Ministers and the SGF.
In his words, the TUC President said, “Yes we have had a conversation, we have had
Meeting and the issues were laid bare on the part of Government. “We laid what the issues are on the part of the organised labour they also laid what the issues are. “There was appeal from the Senate President for us to call off the industrial action tonight but we said that we have heard him but it is not possible for us to sit here and call off any industrial action because of condition precedence given to us by our NEC.
“We would have been much more happier if this evening we have a great understanding that by Tommorrow morning we will sign off issues bordering on the minimum wage because as at the last meeting we were very close in the sense that if the figures were agreed upon, it is just something to prepare report and sign, it is not something that is lengthy anymore.
“But we have listened to them, we will take all their plea to our organs meetin taking what they have promised to our organs.
“For now we don’t have the powers to call off the industrial action so the industrial action will continue while we will have a conversation with our respective organs as soon as possible to lay bare what they have put forward and what they have proposed.
Akpabio had earlier, Pleaded with Labour to backdown as any Strike action will affect the poor people more especially the sick persons in the intensive care at the Hospitals.
He also urged the President to continue with the wage award of N35, 000 which was stopped in February should continue.
