The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN), has faulted the organised labour over the nationwide strike it is commencing
Fagbemi, in a letter to the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress leaders, insisted that the strike over the new minimum was a violation of a present National Industrial Court order restraining the unions from grounding the nation through the strike action.
The AGF said this as a meeting convened by the National Assembly leaders on Sunday failed to achieve its aim following the NLC and TUC’s insistence on going ahead with the strike.
The meeting, which was presided over by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, was attended by the NLC president Joe Ajaero, and his TUC counterpart, Festus Osifo.
Also, the Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, affirmed that the government could not pay more than N60,000, which she said represented a 100 per cent increase on the current minimum wage.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, told Newsmen that the labour leaders might have an ulterior motive, emphasizing that the minimum wage offer they presented was unrealistic for both the federal and state governments.