Nigeria: Media workers suspend strike

  1. Posted on Wednesday 24 November 2010 - 09:38
    Samuel
    Image of Samuel
    Samuel Okocha, AfricaNews reporter in Lagos, Nigeria
    Media workers in the employ of Nigeria's federal government returned to work on Tuesday after they suspended their three days warning strike over the implementation of a new media salary structure. The suspension came, following a meeting with key government officials.
    newspaper
    Members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Radio, Television and Theatre Workers Union (RATTAWU) had on Monday began a three-day warning strike to force government to implement a new media pay for federal media workers who are said to be earning the lowest in the west African sub region.

    “The government intervened promptly,” head of News Agency of Nigeria chapter of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Dele Akinsola said. “The Minister of Information, Professor Dora Akunyili and the Minister of Labour and Productivity… entered into an agreement with the labour leaders.”

    According to the unionist, ''the agreement is to the effect that the media salary structure would be sent to the wages commission ...and sent back to the government for approval and implementation; and that has to be done between now and the end of the year, so that it can be included in the budgetary provision for 2011.”

    Mr. Akinsola said if nothing happens between now and December, "the Union of course would be forced to go back to the trenches... the suspended strike will resume in earnest, and that’s talking about January next year"

    He was however optimistic that government would keep its promise on implementing a new salary scale for federal media workers. "I see the government of President Goodluck Jonathan as accountable and responsive and responsible; and Professor Dora Akunyili, our Minister of Information is a woman of her words, she is a woman of substance and I can not see her putting her signature to a document she feels at the end of the day would not be implementable."

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