NLC Suspends Solidarity Strike As FG Agrees To Meet Its Demands

The strike, which was scheduled for Wednesday, April 10, was to protest against the non-payment of pensions to retirees.

The labour president, Abdulwaheed Omar, who announced the suspension of the strike at a news conference in Abuja, said the congress took the decision because the Federal Government had agreed to meet its demands.

Mr. Omar said the government had agreed to set up a joint committee headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to harmonise payments as well as other matters on pension.

“The Central Working Committee resolves to suspend forthwith the work stoppage and protest march billed to take place on Wednesday, April 10 in Lagos and Abuja. We are resuming the suspended action if by the end of April or thereabout the Federal Government fails to implement all it has promised to do. Congress wishes to commend its workers and civil society allies for promptly mobilising for this action,” Mr. Omar said.

Some of the issues in contention include the non-payment of outstanding arrears of pension to scores of pensioners, and non-enrolment of thousands of pensioners on the Federal Pension payroll.

Others are the non-payment of death benefits to the deserving next of kin and non-implementation of payment to pensioners to reflect the 53.4 per cent salary review, among others.