Despite court order, organised labour insists on Nov 6 strike

Despite a National Industrial Court (NIC), Abuja order, organised labour on Friday said that there was no going back on the November 6 proposed strike over non-implementation of N30,000 minimum wage.
The three labour centres – Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress of Nigeria ( TUC) and the United Labour Congress ( ULC) – confirmed this after a meeting of their joint central working committee in Lagos.
The Nigeria Governors Forum on October 30 announced that states would only pay N22,500 minimum wage.
The organised labour, in reaction, called for the implementation of the tripartite committee report concluded on October 5 or it would go on a nationwide strike.
Mr Ayuba Wabba, NLC President, who read the communique of the meeting advised affiliate members of the three centres to commence preparation to ensure the strike was effective.
According to Wabba, the members should be steadfast and dedicated to achieve their objective as workers would never receive improved welfare except through struggle.
He also said that the ‘no work no pay’ rule by the government was wrong as it negates the labour law and international convention to which Nigeria was a signatory.
He urged private employers to cooperate with labour for the strike to be successful.
Mr Joe Ajaero, ULC President, reiterated that labour would not hesitate to stop the strike if the government fulfilled its N30,000 minimum wage demand.
Ajaero said that labour would continue to meet and negotiate with the government until midnight of the expiration of the strike.
He however said that the labour body had not received any court injunction to stop the strike contrary to any report.
”We are not aware of any court injunction. we will not discuss it because it is speculative. We advise that the minimum wage committee be allowed to submit its report,” Ajaero said
Also, TUC’s president, Mr Bobboi Kaigama, in a remark said the door of the organise labour remained open for discussion and advised that the report reached by the committee be submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Also, Alhaji Kola Olumoh, the chairman, Trade Union Congress (TUC), in Kwara State has said Friday’s judgement of NIC cannot stop the proposed NLC nationwide strike.
The TUC Chairman stated this in Ilorin on Friday.
Olumoh described the judgement as a ploy to cause confusion which was already belated.
He said the National body of the organised Labour Unions would appeal the judgement while the proposed nationwide strike would continue
Olumoh said  labour was magnanimous enough to stand at N30,000 minimum wage for workers which could  not be compared with the jumbo pay of the political office holders.
“We are fully prepared for the proposed strike in Kwara if the Federal Government fails to accept the N30,000 as minimum wage, ” Olumoh said.
He advised workers in the state to fully prepare for the impending strike and cooperate with the Labour Unions in the struggle.
The TUC Chairman alleged that most States Governments in the Federation spent about 40 per cent of the monthly allocations for salary and wondered why they were rejecting N30,000 minimum wage.