The Organised Labour, on Monday night, Oct. 2, agreed to suspend its indefinite strike planned for Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
This came after about five hours of deliberation between the organised labour and the federal government at the Chief of Staff Conference Room of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Announcing the outcome of the meeting to State House correspondents, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, said, “The NLC and TUC accept to suspend for 30 days the planned indefinite nationwide strike scheduled to begin on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.”
Lalong said the memorandum shall be filed with the relevant court of competent jurisdiction within one week as a consent judgement by the Federal Government.
However, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said the unions would revisit the agreement if the FG failed to fulfil its demands.
Before the agreement was reached, the organised labour had threatened to pull out of the meeting following the government’s insistence that the N35, 000 Provisional salary increment would only last for six months.
The labour had accused the government team of reneging on what was agreed on Sunday night to the effect that the N35, 000 Provisional salary increment which is across board, would be paid till when new minimum wage would be negotiated and implemented from next year.
But reading the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, at the end of the meeting, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, said the Organised labour has suspended the planned indefinite strike for 30 days.
The MoU also mandated the Minister of Labour to look into the withheld salaries of university staff.