Following the declaration of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, to embark on two-day warning strike, the Federal Government has said that it is ready to meet with the union on Monday.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the government would meet with leaders of the union to avert the looming strike.
Speaking in an interview with a national newspaper, Idris said, “Definitely, we are hoping the warning strike can be averted. They are still engaged in discussions and have started to understand each other’s position more.
“They will meet again on Monday, but the gaps are being closed. You know the new minister just came in and has just begun to engage with the NLC. Going forward, you will see more expeditious engagement with the labour union.
“So far, tension has reduced but work is still in progress. By Monday, they will meet again and hopefully find an amicable resolution on the issue.”
On what the Federal Government plans to do concerning the 21-day strike scheduled to commence later in the month if the parties fail to reach an agreement, the minister expressed conviction that the matter would be resolved before then.
“This is why I said we are trying to find a common ground to avert the impending strike. Once this is achieved, the other one would have been taken care of.”
But the labour union said there was no going back on the two-day warning strike, even as it affirmed that it remained open to negotiations with the government despite breaking its previous promises.
Already, some state chapters of the NLC said they were ready to proceed with the strike, while some others said their executive committee would meet on Monday as a precursor to the strike.