NLC suspends planned industrial action in Kano

The Organised Labour has suspended the three-day warning strike earlier scheduled to begin today (Thursday) in Kano State, over deductions from workers salary for March by the state government.

The Deputy National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Najeem Yasin, disclosed this on Wednesday night, at a joint news conference with other labour movements and affiliates in Kano, after a meeting with delegates from the State government, led by the state’s Head of Civil Service, Hajia Binta Lawan Ahmed.

It would be recalled that the NLC, last week, gave a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to refund the “illegal deduction” from civil servant salaries, or face industrial action.

Similarly, the labour leaders said if the government failed to stop the “unexplained” deductions before the end of its ultimatum, which was on Tuesday, April 6, workers would embark on a three-day warning strike from midnight of Wednesday 7, April.

Read also: NLC vows to resist imminent increment of fuel pump price to N234 per litre

However, the leadership of labour groups attended a closed-door meeting with the team from the state government and reached a resolution.

Meanwhile, rumours making the round say that the state government planned to revert to the N18,000 minimum wage it was previously implementing.

However, updating newsmen on the resolutions reached, Yasin said the state government denied the rumour and affirmed its determination to respect the agreement of N30,600 signed between the state government and organised labour in December 2019.

‘’Also, March 2021 workers’ salaries deduction at State and Local government Councils should be refunded to workers along with April or May salaries depending on the increase of FAAC allocation for the period,’’ he said.

He noted that the state government also agreed that all machinery for the implementation of the new national minimum wage of N30,600.00 would be put in place by the Office of the Head of Civil Service for Kano University of Science and Technology Wudil and Yusuf Maitama Sule Universities immediately.

“A committee was set up between Government and organised labour to look into all contentious issues as presented by labour.

“Also, the payment of monthly pension and all entitlements of retirees should be vested under the resolutions and approval of the Board of Trustees of the Kano State Pension Fund Trust as provided by 2006 pension law,” he added.

He declared that the planned 3-day industrial action planned to commence on Thursday, 8th April 2021 and peaceful protests on Monday, 12 April 2021, have been suspended by the organised labour.

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