Strike: NLC Reveals Expectations As It Reconvenes With FG Today 

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has revealed what it would do should the Federal Government fail to consider its demands for cushioning the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.

Naija News understands that the Labour Union is slated to meet again with the Federal Government on Monday (today) as agreed from its last meeting on June 5.

However, the NLCs Vice President, NLC, Adewale Adeyanju has said they hope the government does not act funny towards their demands from the last meeting else they would proceed on the planned nationwide strike because “You know we only suspended our strike as a result of the need to meet on this.”

It would be recalled that the organised labour unions had planned a nationwide strike following the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu on his inauguration day and the over 200% hike in the pump price of fuel.

However, the NLC says the strike was only suspended due to its meeting with the Federal Government on June 5, after which a resolution was made to reconvene on June 19 to agree on the implementation framework of the resolutions reached.

Recount that the new Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, who led the government side at the meeting with the NLC said at the end of the meeting that a seven-point resolution to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, on Nigerians was reached.

Gbajabiamila had said “The Federal Government, the TUC, and the NLC to establish a joint committee to review the proposal for any wage increase or award and establish a framework and timeline for implementation.

“The Federal Government, the TUC and the NLC to review the World Bank Financed Cash transfer scheme and propose the inclusion of low-income earners in the programme.

“The Federal Government, the TUC and the NLC to revive the CNG conversion programme earlier agreed with Labour centres in 2021 and work out detailed implementation and timing.”  

However, speaking ahead of the fresh meeting today, the NLC Vice President, told The Punch “There are a lot of things that labour has been putting before the government. The refineries need to be revamped. We cannot continue to import refined petroleum products and be spending on subsidies all the time.

“Labour has its set of demands and by the time we meet with the government tomorrow, we will list them out again.

  “You know we only suspended our strike as a result of the need to meet on this.

“So the government should know that things are becoming difficult and they (the government) should not decide to do anything funny. The strike was only suspended. It was an ultimatum that was given out and it (strike) was suspended.

“So let’s hear what the government has for us and then we will know what to tell our members. It is about the lives of the people. Let’s meet them tomorrow and then labour will come out with its position.”

Adeyanju, however, expressed optimism that the meeting would be fruitful and insisted that the NLC would not want the government to behave funny.

He submitted that “We hope that the meeting is going to be fruitful. The expectations are very high. The nation is watching and people are looking at how the Nigeria Labour Congress is going to handle the situation.

“And the government too will not like to behave funny because they know the country is battling with the increase in fuel pump price and so many things.”