RATTAWU Suspends Strike Action

The striking members of Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU) have suspended their three day warning strike after the Federal Government negotiation team promised to work with the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission to expedite action on the processing of the proposal concerning the remuneration for Media and Cultural workers.

In a copy of the communiqué issued in Abuja last night, after a meeting with representatives of the Union, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Chukwuemeka Wogu and the Minister of State for Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, the Union agreed to shelve the industrial action.
Wogu had earlier urged the striking workers to give the Federal Government to consider and deliberate on their request for pay rise commensurate with other FG workers.
RATTAWU, on Monday had embarked on an industrial action to protest the huge disparity between them and staff in other government agencies.

The Labour Minister noted that President Goodluck Jonathan has shown a commitment to improving welfare of Nigerian workers across all social strata as “evidenced in the restoration of pay relativity in the salary of Federal Civil Servants, and his dogged pursuit of a new Minimum Wage for all Nigerian workers.”

He recalled that the last two meetings held with the Union had already drawn attention to their plight adding that the White Paper Committee saddled with the responsibility of resolving all wages related issues is yet to submit its report.
In a statement issued last week by the National Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Leman Shuaibu, the Union had lamented that while a level four officer in the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) takes home about N12, 000 monthly, his counterpart in the Federal Inland Revenue Services earns over N99, 000.