>From: "Johannes Schneider" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
>>From the Nigerian paper Guardian:
>
>http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/news2/nn791515.html
>
>Friday, July 14 , 2000
>Wage: Police avert clash in Katsina, strike ends in Ondo, Cross River
>
>>From Bayo Ohu, (Katsina); Seun Adeoye, (Osogbo);
>
>Ifedayo Sayo, (Ado-Ekiti); Iyabo Sotunde, (Ibadan);
>
>Niyi Bello, (Akure) and Anietie Ben-Akpan, (Calabar)
>
>AS each state of the federation continues to grapple with its own share of
>the wage palaver, Katsina State almost recorded a bloody clash yesterday
>when an army of 300 pro-government youths marched on a workers' procession
>during a rally.
>
>The new is, however, cheering in Ondo and Akwa Ibom states.
>
>Katsina workers in their hundreds had converged at the Nigeria Labour
>Congress (NLC) Secretariat at Sabon Layi, for a rally called by their leader
>over their N6,500 minimum wage demand but unknown to them, a group of
>pro-government youths, under the Youth Enlightenment Association (YEA) had
>gathered at the Women Multi-purpose Centre at Filinsanyi on the labour
>crisis.
>
>The youths thereafter emerged from their meeting with posters of Governor
>Umaru Musa Yar'Adua in their hands and singing his praises.
>
>However, they were geared for trouble. Torrent of abuses rained from their
>mouths on labour leaders as they swarmed the entire Magogo Road, marching in
>the direction of the unsuspecting workers.
>
>However, if the demons of bloodshed which have been ranging free over the
>federation lately were already salivating in anticipation, their fiendish
>ploy was cut short by the quick intervention of security operatives and
>anti-riot policemen already stationed in strategic locations around the
>state capital in anticipation of trouble.
>
>The police teargassed the rampaging youths, scattering them but also causing
>panic among residents and shop owners who also ran for cover. Shops were
>quickly closed down to prevent possible looting.
>
>The workers themselves scampered to safety, regrouped later after being
>assured that their adversaries had been dispersed by the police.
>
>Most of the labour leaders who spoke at the rally informed their members
>about the on-going negotiations with the state government and urged them to
>be steadfast in their support as the stage reached on the negotiation
>required the collective support and continuous prayers of members.
>
>The labour leaders said the congress was insisting on N6,500 as minimum
>wage, which they said the state government has the wherewithal to pay and
>still implement developmental projects.
>
>Meanwhile, the United Parliamentary Organisation (UPO), a forum for all
>former and present lawmakers at both national and state levels has stepped
>in to mediate in the wage crisis.
>
>Down south in Osun State, workers remained adamant despite the state
>government's directive that they should resume work.
>
>Workers who attempted to comply were pursued and sent back home by labour
>leaders armed with horsewhips.
>
>State NLC Chairman Mr. Peter Ade Ajayi maintained that their demand still
>stood at N7,100.
>
>"We won't take that (N5,500) from him. Never. It is our right to demand
>living minimum wage. We know what political appointees were taking as their
>remuneration, so we deserve good salary," he stated.
>
>Hope of an amicable resolution, however, brightened in Ekiti State as the
>chairman of the state NLC Mr. Ade Ajayi said the workers were prepared to
>shift ground on their demand if government documents showed that the
>resources of the state could not adequately meet their demand for N7,000
>minimum wage.
>
>Ajayi, however, expressed disappointment that some state governments had
>drawn new salary scales different from that of the Federal Government for
>their workers, asserting that labour leaders in the South-West zone had
>agreed to stick to the Federal Government's salary scale in their demand for
>better pay for workers.
>
>Meanwhile, chairman of Oyo State NLC, Mr. Ibrahim Bolomope has declared that
>a guaranteed employment for Nigerian workers is the only panacea for the
>success of the on-going privatisation exercise by Federal Government.
>
>Besides, they must be given the opportunity to own shares in the privatised
>companies through the provision of share loans.
>
>Speaking yesterday in Ibadan at one-day workshop organised by the National
>Council on Privatisation (NCP), he insisted that "labour would need to be
>reassured of continued employment when the ownership of these enterprises
>change hands."
>
>It is good news from Ondo State as the workers' strike was yesterday
>suspended, following an agreement between the state government and the state
>labour leaders on N6,500 minimum wage.
>
>The accord was reached after royal fathers and religious leaders intervened
>in the crisis.
>
>Also, in Cross River, workers called off their strike yesterday, following
>an agreement between the state government and NLC's state public service
>negotiating council, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union
>of Local Government Employees (NULGE) yesterday.
>
>The strike was called off with the implementation of the N5,500 minimum wage
>"in the interim and considering government's acceptance to meet with the
>organised labour in December, 2000 for the implementation of the demand of
>N6,500."
>
>>From the Nigerian paper Vanguard:
>
>http://www.vanguardngr.com/wk207200/Nd414070.htm
>
>C'Rivers workers suspend strike
>
>By George Onah
>
>CALABAR: CROSS River State civil servants have suspended their strike aimed
>at making the government pay them a minimum of N6,500 per month as against
>the N5,500 offered by the government.
>
>The state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said it was
>suspending the nine-day old strike because of appeals from well meaning
>Nigerians.
>
>"As a result of a series of appeals from the Cross River State House of
>Assembly, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, CRS Traditional Rulers Council and
>other well-meaning Cross Riverians to labour, we hereby suspend the
>industrial action embarked upon by workers in the state public civil service
>which started July 5, 2000," the NLC said in a bulletin.
>
>It directed all workers to "resume their normal duties with effect from
>Thursday, 13th July 2000 to enable account officers prepare the June 2000
>salary on the new minimum wage" of N5,500.
>
>In spite of the directive, however, there was a low turn-out of workers,
>yesterday as most of the workers complained of lack of money to pay for
>transport to and from work.
>
>The workers' action was occasioned by government's insistence that it was
>not rich enough to pay N6,500 because it receives only N420 million from the
>federal government and hopes to spend N381 million only on salaries.
>
>Government also said some projects would have to be suspended to enable it
>pay the new wage, adding that the workers insistence that Cross River was an
>oil producing state "is unrealistic."
>
>It said while other states were receiving over a billion as 13 per cent
>derivation per month Cross River was collecting "a paltry N350,000.00."
>
>
>
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