Strike begins tomorrow •As FG, Labour talks deadlocked •Oyo workers begin strike today; say our own case is peculiar • Jonathan, govs meet on…

THE meeting between the Federal Government, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), which was held at the Three-Arm Zone office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to resolve and prevent the looming industrial crisis, ended in a deadlock on Monday.

To this end, the three-day warning strike, according to the organised labour, commences tomorrow across the country.

The meeting, which commenced around 4.00 p.m. on Monday, could not resolve the lingering crisis, as the position put forward by the government was not acceptable to labour.

At the meeting were the SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu; the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi; chairman, Salaries and Wages Commission and other government representatives.

Others were the president of the NLC, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar; the TUC president, General Peter Esele; NLC Acting General Secretary, Owei Lakemfa; TUC General Secretary, John Kolawole; NLC Deputy President; Promise Adewusi; TUC deputy president Musa Toli; NLC vice president, Issa Aremu and other labour leaders.

The SGF presented the new position of the Federal Government to labour and said the government, headed by President Goodluck Jonathan, had agreed to shift ground and accept labour’s position to pay the minimum wage across board, thus covering Grade Level 01 to 17.

But he added that since the government had earlier planned the salary structure and the matrix for only Grade Level 01 to 06, budgetary provision was only made in this year’s budget for that purpose, adding that the Federal Government could only, therefore, commence the payment of junior workers from Level 01 to 06 as earlier planned.

Senator Anyim explained that for Level 07 to 17, the government had agreed to include them in the new minimum wage structure, but added that they would only be paid as from January next year.

He stated that since the government could not go against the law, provisions would be made and included in next year’s budget, “which is around the corner” to pay them, and this could only be achieved in  January next year.

The government’s position is also that the new minimum wage would be restricted to the core civil servants, whom they agreed their salaries were very poor, compared to other workers in the public service.

He, therefore, pleaded with labour to shelve the proposed strike, since the government had shown serious commitment to pay the salary across board.

The Labour Minister, Chief Wogu, also pleaded with labour to call off the planned strike, as the government had listened to their demand and included other level of workers.

Contrary to the position of labour, which claimed that nothing had changed since last week when it met with the Federal Government, Chief Wogu said a lot had changed also with the governors’ resolve to pay the minimum wage of N18, 000.

But labour rejected all entreaties to shelve the strike, saying that nothing had changed from the government side as it had not put anything before it  to think otherwise.

Labour insisted that the strike would commence tomorrow as planned, except something tangible happened between Monday night and this morning.

Labour believed that the SGF and the minister could still go back to the president on Monday night to tell him about its resolve to go ahead with the strike except the government began the payment to all categories of workers and signs agreement in black and white to that effect, as demanded in their Sunday press conference.

The labour leaders believed that that the position to commence payment of certain workers and delay others was to divide the ranks of the workers.

Also, attempt not to include some public servants, other than the core civil servant, they argued, was  not acceptable as it would cause disaffection and disharmony among the workers.

“No agreement, nothing has changed. The strike starts on Wednesday, except something happens tonight,” NLC president, Comrade Omar, said after the meeting.

Before the journalists were told to excuse them for a closed door meeting, Omar had said: “Nigerians generally have been watching us and, right now, they will begin to discern where sincerity lies, where it does not. Right now, I have not seen anything that has changed, even from last week till today, because it was the same table that was presented. And I want to say, I am very sorry, but I have to say it, that even the evolution of that table is very mischievously done, because it was not based on anything.”

Governor Amaechi said it was a matter of law and nobody was willing to disobey the law but appealed to labour to give more time to resolve the issues in the interest of all Nigerians, adding that if labour closed down everywhere as planned, the rich would still get their ways, go to private hospitals because they could afford it but the poor they were trying to protect would  suffer.

He said the governors would be meeting labour tomorrow.

Meanwhile, civil servants in Rivers State can now heave a sigh of relief following the declaration of Governor Amaechi on the decision of his administration to commence the payment of the N18,000 minimum wage to workers in the state service

Governor Amaechi made this declaration on Monday, while declaring open the Rivers State Civil Service Week Award Day 2011, at the Alfred Diete-Spiff Civic Centre, Port Harcourt.

Represented by his deputy, Mr Tele Ikuru, Governor Amaechi said, as chairman of NGF, he held several meetings with his colleagues to press for the need for all the governors to pay the minimum wage to their state workers, particularly to avert the impending workers’ strike, stating that the government would work to deliver on its mandate of ensuring that the workers in the state service got the best from his administration.

Governor Amaechi, who attributed his administration’s credible performance and success story during the last National Sports Festival to the selfless service and co-operation of the state civil servants, promised that all the facilities the workers need to improve their performance would be provided, deploring the conduct of some of them who still indulged in unwholesome activities like corruption, lateness to work and lack of commitment to their duties.

Also speaking, a retired permanent secretary and chairman on the occasion, Mr. S. J. S. Toby, expressed joy that after the state was placed third at the 1979 National Sports Festival tagged Oluyole Games ’79 in Ibadan, it came to occupy the first position in the 2011 Garden City Games in Port Harcourt, commending Governor Amaechi for the success achieved.

Highlighting the level of transformation in the civil service, he said the work process had transited from the use of manual devices which delayed work-pace to electronic ones which have simplified and improved workers’ productivity.

Earlier, the state Head of Service (HOS), Mrs Esther Anucha, congratulated the governor and his deputy on their victory at the polls and the successful hosting and winning of the recently concluded 17th National Sports Festival, thanking him for his support to the state civil service.

Highlighting the achievements of the civil service in recent times, Mrs Anucha said over 115 workers had  benefited from the workers revolving loan while over 450 of them had also benefited from the state-assisted capacity-building training at the Rivers State Polytechnic, Bori.

She appealed to the state government to build more houses for workers on owner-occupier basis. About 20 past and present workers received merit awards on the occasion.

However, workers on the payroll of the Oyo State have resolved to embark on an indefinite strike, beginning from today to press home their demand for the N18,000 minimum wage signed into law by President  Jonathan.

This is despite the last-minute intervention of the state House of Assembly, which held talks with representatives of labour union leaders in a closed door meeting on Monday.

The workers, under the auspices of Public Service Joint Negotiating Council (PSJNC), arrived at the decision at the end of their congress on Monday.

The chairman of the council, Comrade Nurudeen Arowolo, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune  in a telephone interview, said the action became necessary, following the refusal of the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to honour the May 13 agreement on the new wage by his predecessor.

He argued that government was a continuum and that the governor inherited both assets and liabilities of the state from the administration he succeeded, adding that the strike would be indefinite, because the state had a peculiar case.

On the outcome of the meeting held with the lawmakers, he said the labour leaders had convinced the legislators of their position and laid all the facts before them, with a promise by the House that the findings would be communicated to the governor.

The state chairman of the NLC, Bashir Olanre-waju, said members of the union in the state, including those in the private sector, would join the strike tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the sttate chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has called on Governor Ajimobi to turn in his resignation letter, in view of his inability to come to terms with the fundamentals of governance since assumption of office.

The state secretary of the PDP, Alhaji Bashir Akanbi, who made the call in Ibadan, while speaking with newsmen, on Monday, said those who voted against the former governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, especially the civil servants, were now saying they had thrown away “the beautiful bride and married an ugly woman.”

However, the state Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), speaking through its publicity secretary, Honourable Mathew Oye-dokun, said the statement that the government it formed had been inactive was borne out of ignorance of how enduring democratic dividends were midwifed throughout the world, describing the PDP as playing the role of irresposible opposition.

He said Ajimobi had been busy in the last 40 days to prepare an enduring template for long-lasting democratic dividends in the state.