Labour had embarked on the strike to protest the disengagement of thousands of workers from the Kaduna labour force by State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

The governor said the decision to sack workers was reached in order to wean off redundancies in an over-bloated, corrupt civil service.

Announcing the suspension, NLC President Ayuba Wabba said the decision was reached in deference to an invitation by the federal government for mediatory talks on Thursday, May 20.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige had waded in on Tuesday after thugs disrupted the protest and after an outraged El-Rufai declared labour leader Wabba wanted and sacked striking workers.

“I am therefore constrained in the exercise of my powers as the Minister of Labour and Employment, under the Trade Disputes Act, CAP. T8, Laws of Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004; to invite you and your top officials to the emergency trade dispute conciliation meeting,” Ngige said in a statement.

The industrial action has all but paralysed critical sectors of the Kaduna economy. The governor fired essential workers, like nurses, who abandoned patients to join the strike.