The Federal Government has once again extended an invitation to the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) for another meeting regarding its planned indefinite strike.
This development is outlined in a statement released by Mr. Simon Lalong, the Minister of Labour and Employment.
Lalong, on September 4th, summoned both the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for a meeting to avert the earlier two-day nationwide warning strike.
But only the TUC attended the meeting.
Lalong has affirmed that he has instructed the Department of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations to arrange the meeting with the NLC leadership on Monday.
He stressed the importance of the unions sitting down with the government to resolve all outstanding issues in order to prevent further disruptions to the economy.
“The administration of President Bola Tinubu will consistently engage with organized labor and respond to its concerns after thorough consultations and negotiations. This is essential to ensure industrial harmony, a critical component of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Lalong stated.
Furthermore, the NLC National Executive Council, in a communique issued on September 1st, had issued a threat to initiate an indefinite strike within 21 days of the communique’s issuance.
Among their demands, the NLC and the TUC are seeking wage increases, the implementation of palliatives, tax exemptions and allowances for public sector workers, and a review of the minimum wage.
Despite the Federal Government’s commitment to restructure the engagement framework with organized labor on palliatives, the eight-week timeframe set for the conclusion of this process expired in August without any action being taken.
The committees were given eight weeks to finalize their tasks and expedite the implementation of the framework to mitigate the impact of petrol subsidy removal on Nigerians. However, weeks after the deadline, the sub-committees have yet to convene or fulfill their mandates.
President Tinubu established the Presidential Steering Committee and various sub-committees on June 19th to discuss the palliatives framework. These sub-committees were created to oversee the implementation of the Federal Government’s palliative initiatives in areas such as Cash Transfers, Social Investment Programme, Cost of Governance, Energy, Mass Transit, and Housing.
These developments arose from President Tinubu’s private meeting with the leadership of the NLC and the TUC during a nationwide protest organized by labor unions.
