NLC
Labour leader insist on strike. Representatives of organized labor walked out of a meeting with the Presidential Steering Committee on Subsidy Palliatives set for Friday evening at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, led the group to the office of the President’s Chief of Staff at 5 p.m., but was soon seen fleeing the building.
Members of the steering committee met with the government delegation on Wednesday, and the two parties decided to meet again on Friday to hear from the government’s subcommittees on public transportation, compressed natural gas, and cash transfer.
The Federal Government established the steering group to develop intervention plans to mitigate the consequences of the elimination of fuel subsidies on Nigerians.
On their way out of the CoS headquarters, labor representatives accused the Federal Government of manipulating the sessions to deceive Nigerians.
“They are not prepared for the meeting,” said an organized labor committee member who spoke on the condition of anonymity. That is correct.
“They are deceiving Nigerians by using cover.” The steering committee was meant to be briefed by three subcommittees – public transit, CNG, and cash transfer – but the government was not prepared for the meeting.”
“They made excuses and wanted the meeting to continue in their introductory remarks; the meeting did not form a quorum.” We are a people who operate on a process-based basis. So, what happens when there isn’t a quorum in a meeting? Due to a lack of quorum, you will adjourn.
“There was no one available to meet with.” The Chief of Staff was not present; they are treating us as though we are children.”
However, our correspondent learned that the CoS to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and other team members were waiting for the labor delegation.
However, the NLC and Trade Union Congress organized labor delegations were delayed in accessing the State House due to clearance concerns. The reason for the delay was that the names of members of the delegation were not sent to the gate early enough for clearance.
Later, Gbajabiamila excused himself to attend to other official duties within the Villa, while other government team members awaited the arrival of the organized labor team.
“We were detained at the gate,” one of the labor delegation’s leaders told journalists.
The meeting on Friday would have been the fourth in a series of discussions between the Federal Government and organized labor since the elimination of the gasoline subsidy.
The steering committee last met on Wednesday, but the Federal Government’s representatives could not convince the labour leaders to shelve the protest.
“We are going ahead with the protest because we have to be emphatic on what we put in our communiqué to say we’re commencing protests from the 2nd of August,” Ajaero had insisted.
But the Federal Government noted that the meetings had made some progress.
“We’ve agreed to continue to make progress. It was a very productive meeting. The focus was really on how to fast-track a lot of the interventions that will bring relief, particularly around CNG, mass transportation, cleaner energy, transportation, and reducing the impact of the cost of transportation, and the increased cost of transportation. So, we’ve made good progress,” the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Ms Olu Verheijen, told journalists.
Meanwhile, the National Executive Council of the NLC has endorsed the August 2 nationwide strike and mass protests proposed by the body over the recent hike in the pump price of petrol.
The Federal Government had told the NLC that it was legally restrained from embarking on the planned nationwide strike.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, B. E. Jedy-Agba, in a statement on Wednesday, said the union was restrained by the order of the National Industrial Court from embarking on any strike on the removal of petrol subsidy.
She said the court had on June 5 granted an injunctive order restraining the NLC and the Trade Union Congress “from embarking on the planned industrial action/or strike of any nature, pending the hearing and determination of the pending motion on notice.”
Jedy-Agba advised the union to explore other means of negotiations with the Federal Government rather than “resorting to self-help and undermining the orders of the court.”
However, in a communiqué issued at the end of its meeting on Thursday, the NLC NEC members also approved other decisions reached by the Central Working Committee of NLC at a meeting held on Tuesday.
The communiqué, signed by Joe Ajaero, President of the NLC, and Emma Ugboaja, General Secretary of the NLC, and made available to our correspondent on Friday, read in part, “NEC-in-session after exhaustively deliberating and reviewing the current socioeconomic situation confronting Nigerian workers and masses, and the attendant mass suffering and deprivation across the nation as a result of the unfortunate actions and policies of the current occupiers of to pay the rich despite the massive outcry across the nation.
“To this end, NEC-in-session applauds, re-affirms and supports all the decisions of the Central Working Committee meeting of the 25th of July, 2023, of the immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the Federal Government, including the recent hike in PMS price, Increase in public school fees, the release of the eight months’ withheld salary of university lecturers and workers, and increase in VAT.
“The immediate establishment of the Presidential Steering Committee, as agreed in earlier consequential dialogues, to begin the building across the country of a coalition of all Nigerians, where all will be leaders and all will be followers, to call on all civil society organizations and Nigerians wherever they may be to begin mobilization to take action on their own to save our nation, and to lead and organize mass protest rallies across the country to demonstrate outrage.”
The NEC agreed “to give the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum within which to meet all our demands and to embark on a nationwide action beginning from Wednesday, the 2nd of August, 2023, to compel the government to reverse its anti-poor and anti-workers policies.
“NEC consequently directs all affiliates and state councils to begin immediate mobilisation and closely work with associations, individuals and other entities, including the ones already on the streets to ensure that the government listens to the people.”
Members of the NEC insisted that the Federal Government’s lack of seriousness in creating frameworks to cushion the impact of the increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit or petrol was demonstrated not only in the quality of its representation in the hastily called meeting on Wednesday, but also in their unpreparedness to deal with the issues as canvassed.
“NEC, therefore, set up strategy committees across all the states, urging all affiliates and state councils, including the civil society, to come out beginning Wednesday, the 2nd of August, 2023 across the nation to protest the government’s insensitivity to the plights of Nigerians.”