Organized labour suspends proposed strike in Kogi

AbdulAhad Otuoze
The organised Labour in Kogi State have suspended its proposed strike scheduled to kickoff from Midnight of Sunday 21st March 2021.
The organized Labour in a statement jointly signed on Friday by the Secretaries , Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), Comrade Owoeye Anthony, Trade Union Congress, (TUC), Comrade Kolawole James and Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, (JPSNC), Comrade I. Abubakar said to avert the looming strike, the State Government ordered members of the 17-man committee to resume work immediately with a mandate to submit its report in a very short time.
According to the statement, “Over the months, the Leadership of Organized Labour have patiently waited for this Government to conclude with Labour leaders the negotiation on the New Minimum Wage currently signed into law by President Muhammed Buhari in April 2019. The committee was inaugurated February 2020.
“It is on record that Organized Labour in the state wrote severally to the State Government on the critical need for the committee to conclude this all-important assignment but none of our letters was responded to until a notice of a 21-day ultimatum was issued on 2™ March 2021.
“Consequently, the Leadership of Labour therefore has decided to put on hold the proposed strike scheduled to begin on mid-night of Sunday 23% March 2021 pending when the committee would submit its report”.
While appreciating workers for maintaining a very cordial industrial relations atmosphere prevailing in the State, the organized labour in the state therefore appealed to workers to go about their normal and legitimate business while praying that God should touch the hearts of the government to do the needful.
It could be recalled that the organized labour on March 10th issued an ultimatum to the state government to implement the N30,000 new minimum wage or ready to face strike from workers in the state.