Breaking: Nationwide strike begins as govt, labour leaders meeting ends in deadlock

The last minute frantic efforts by the national assembly to find a solution to the minimum wage impasse and forestall a nationwide strike by the organised labour did not yield the desired results.

The nationwide strike announced last week by the organised labour will now commence today after talks between the government and the union collapsed again.

This is after the meeting between representatives of the federal government, leadership of the National Assembly and officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) over the proposed national minimum wage ended in deadlock on Sunday.

The meeting which began around 5:50 p.m. and ended at 8:45 p.m. was held behind closed-door at the National Assembly complex, Abuja.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who spoke with journalists after the meeting, said the government appealed to the labour leaders to shelve their planned strike but that the latter refused.

Akpabio, while underscoring the crippling effects of the industrial action if it holds, said many activities in the country including hospitals will be affected.

He urged the union leaders to reconsider the planned strike.

Mr Akpabio, however, said that the government would continue to plead with the union leaders.

The meeting was convened by the leaderships of the Senate and House of Representatives.

It is coming a day before the commencement of an indefinite strike called by the two labour unions to protest the disagreement over the proposed minimum wage.

The TUC President, Festus Osifo, who spoke on behalf of the labour unions, told journalists that the strike will continue pending their final consultations with other arms of the unions.

Osifo confirmed that representatives of the government pleaded but noted that the labour leaders insisted on their demands.

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