NLC alleges heavy military presence at minimum wage talks, army denies

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) connected Monday alleged that determination was a subject beingness astatine the venue of its gathering with the Federal Government arsenic some parties effort to find an extremity to the impasse that has trailed attempts to scope an statement connected minimum wage for workers successful the country.

However, the service denied the allegation, saying the beingness of subject unit was owed to the attendance of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who was accompanied by his statutorily approved subject escorts.

The Guardian reports that the NLC, successful a station connected X, claimed that soldiers were surrounding the premises of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, wherever the discussions were taking place.

“Soldiers are presently surrounding the venue of the gathering betwixt Labour and Government astatine the premises of the SGF,” the NLC stated connected its authoritative X handle.

The umbrella assemblage for workers successful the state had earlier issued a informing against what it tagged arsenic immoderate attempts to intimidate, provoke, oregon blackmail its leaders during the dialog process, cautioning that specified actions could exacerbate tensions.

“Any effort to intimidate, provoke, oregon blackmail our leaders astatine the dialog array volition beryllium resisted, and onslaught enactment volition further beryllium prolonged,” the NLC warned.

In response, the Nigerian Army issued a connection soon after, denying the NLC’s allegations.

It urged the nationalist to disregard what it termed a “deliberate and misleading falsehood” regarding the beingness of subject escorts astatine the meeting.

The connection read, “The attraction of Army Headquarters has been drawn to a mendacious breaking quality by NLC alleging that soldiers presently situation the venue of the ongoing gathering betwixt NLC and the SGF.

“Kindly enactment that the NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who is besides attending the meeting, arrived astatine the gathering venue with his retinue of statutorily approved subject escorts. Once the gathering is over, the escorts volition pb the NSA from the venue.

“Kindly disregard the deliberate and misleading falsehood being peddled astir the beingness of the escorts astatine the meeting.”

The NLC and the national authorities person been successful talks to resoluteness disputes implicit the nationalist minimum wage, which has been agelong overdue and has resulted successful a nationwide onslaught by the labour union.

The Guardian reports that organised labour declared a nationwide onslaught implicit a projected caller minimum wage aft a gathering betwixt the tripartite committee connected nationalist minimum wage and representatives of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) failed to scope an statement connected a caller minimum wage and the reversal of the caller hike successful energy tariffs.

Meanwhile, the national authorities had appealed to organised labour to reconsider its planned indefinite onslaught acceptable to commence today, Monday, June 3.

While the unions are pushing for a caller minimum wage of N494,000, the Nigerian authorities is offering N60,000.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated that the sum of N494,000 nationalist minimum wage being demanded by organised labour, which cumulatively amounts to N9.5 trillion, is susceptible of destabilising the system and jeopardising the payment of implicit 200 cardinal Nigerians.

Yesterday, successful a last-minute effort to avert the strike, leaders of the National Assembly met with representatives of organised labour. However, the gathering ended successful a deadlock, with labour unions insisting connected going up with the strike.

On Monday, the Labour onslaught disrupted flights, wellness services, lawmaking arsenic good arsenic judicial activities arsenic the workers downed their tools with sister organisations, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), joining the strike.