Members of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) have shut down the National Assembly in compliance with the indefinite strike declared by organized labour.
The entrance and exit of the National Assembly are currently under lock and key, preventing staff from gaining access and bringing activities in the assembly to a halt.
Seyi Abayomi, a staff member at the Senate reported that no staff have been able to enter the premises. He also mentioned that the striking labour union has cut off the power supply to the National Assembly.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) began their indefinite strike on Monday after a last-minute intervention by the National Assembly on Sunday night failed to resolve the issues.
The labour unions however said that they would present the plea from the National Assembly’s leadership to their respective organs for consideration. Senate President Godswill Akpabio has expressed his optimism that the labour unions will call off the strike following their four-hour meeting with the organized labour leadership.
The unions are striking in response to the federal government’s refusal to increase the minimum wage from the proposed N60,000 to their demanded N494,000, but the federal government has argued that the demanded increase would result in an additional N9.5 trillion annually, which they claim is unsustainable.
