Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, TUC, have suspended the ongoing indefinite strike action for five days.
The TUC president Festus Osifo confirmed this in Abuja on Tuesday after a joint extraordinary national executive council meeting of the unions.
He said “A joint NEC meeting of TUC/NLC has approved to relax the industrial action for one week with immediate effect,” Osifo said.
The strike which commenced on Monday was called to protest the failure of the Federal Government to approve new minimum wage by May 31 as well as its failure to reverse the hike in electricity tariff.
According to reports, after a six-hour meeting with the leadership of organised labour in Abuja on Monday night, the Federal Government expressed the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to raising the N60,000 offered as the minimum wage.
Meanwhile netizens have began to lampoon the leadership of the union for the decision to suspend the strike for five days
Several comments under a post by the NLC on their Xpage were totally against the decision.
A tweep @gboobinanya wrote “This is not how things are done. If you want the government to take this whole thing seriously, you should keep the strike ongoing until the whole issue is rectified especially now that you have the supported of the masses. When you relax the strike action, the government will relax and you will come up with another strike. How do you think the people will feel?”
Another tweep@Osquare78 in his comment wrote “So you guys think you can use the workers ‘ Kalukalu machine? Turn on and turn off turn on turn off? Strike that you started already, rather than continue until your goal is met, you guys said you’re giving one week to allow the conclusion of negotiations. So what happens after one week & no agreement is reached, You call another strike?? Then you would have lost relevance”
“You want to settle for 60k and you people are disturbing the little peace we manage.Bring light back.That is the only issue I have with your strike.” Another tweep @sonofglory said.
@kasalimi2029 in his comment on the post wrote ”
Most people are batching NLC and TUC. Someone of you don’t know what it means to be a union leader in Nigeria. Those in authority will box you to a corner. You are not safe, your families and friends need to watch their backs.
Why did Nigerians fold their hands even when NLC and TUC were fighting. The so called workers they are fighting for went home to sleep. That is not how things are done.If NLC is at the forefront, the NIGERIAN workers that want living wage should follow. That is how to win a battle with people with democratic look but autocratic mindset.I don’t blame NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS Nigerian workers are docile.”
