The Nigerian Labour Congress has suspended the three-day warning strike earlier scheduled for Thursday in Kano over the state government’s deduction of workers salary for the month of March.
NLC Deputy National President, Najeem Yasin announced the suspension late on Wednesday at a joint news conference with other labour movements and affiliates in Kano following a meeting with the State government team led by the Head of Civil Service, Hajia Binta Lawan Ahmed.
The NLC last week gave a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to refund and stop what it described as “illegal deductions” from civil servant salaries or face industrial action.
The labour leaders also insisted that failure of the government to stop the “unexplained” deduction before the end of its ultimatum, which begins on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, would see workers embark on a three-day warning strike from midnight, Wednesday 7.
However, the leadership of the NLC led by NLC Deputy National President, Najeem Yasin and leadership of TUC, JNC, JAC and JCF attended the closed-door meeting with the state government team where a resolution was reached.
Addressing newsmen on the resolutions reached at the meeting, Yasin noted the state government denied a rumour on plans to revert to the N18,000 minimum wage but instead affirmed determination to respect the agreement of N30,600 signed between the state government and organized labour in December 2019.
He also disclosed that the March 2021 workers’ salaries deduction at State and Local government Councils levels will be refunded along with April or May salaries depending on the increase of FAAC allocation for the period.
A committee has been set up between Government and organized 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.
Yasin noted that it was agreed that no worker or any labour leader should be punished or treated in a prejudicial or malicious manner for partaking in the planned industrial action by the Kano State Government.
With that resolution in place, he suspended the 3-day industrial action planned to commence on Thursday, 8th April 2021 and peaceful protests on Monday, 12 April 2021