* As talks break down

By Okey Ndiribe

The negotiations between the Federal Government and the nation’s labour movement on minimum wage took a dramatic turn yesterday in Abuja as the labour delegation walked out of the  Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and never returned.

Sunday Vanguard learnt that after both sides ended their meeting, they were supposed to address a joint press briefing to announce that their negotiations would continue today.

However, after both sides had been seated for the press briefing, the labour leaders suddenly stood up and filed out of the conference hall of the Office of the SGF to consult among themselves.

Government officials who were present assured reporters that the labour delegation would return and join them to address the briefing. But the labour delegation, led by the Deputy Presidents of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Mohammed Kiri, and Trade Union Congress (TUC), Musa Tolly, never returned to join the government delegation  led by Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, the SGF, to address journalists. Instead, only the Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Owei Lakemfa, and the General Secretary of TUC, Comrade John Kolawole, were sent to inform the SGF that the labour delegation would not address the press conference with the  government delegation.

Addressing journalists later, the Minister of information, Mr. Labaran Maku, said that the Federal Government  had engaged in wholesale wage review for public servants, last year, adding that the wage increase amounted to a 54.46 percent addition for the public servants.

According to him: “Last year’s wage review increased the Federal Government’s wage bill from N973 billion to N1.5 trillion which represented an increase of about N500 billion”.

He  explained that the Federal Government had already agreed to implement the new minimum wage for workers on levels 1-3 in the public service.

According to the minister, the only area of disagreement was that the  labour movement wanted a wage review that would apply across the board to all public servants.

However, the labour delegation, which later addressed journalists at the File: Labour   30/0p7/2011

Labour House, said nothing was achieved during the talks which held yesterday.
According to Lakemfa, who read a statement jointly endorsed by himself and Kolawaole for TUC , “the NLC and TUC have not seen any light at the end of the tunnel but hope that the Federal Government will make a genuine offer at the resumed negotiations” today (Sunday).

They explained that both umbrella labour unions had agreed to continue the negotiations with the Federal Government today (Sunday) to avoid a deadlock.

“The Federal Government team declined to discuss the three scenarios worked out by the joint government-labour team. Rather it made an offer which was completely unacceptable to the labour team”.