The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has revealed that his counterpart in the Ministry of Labour and Employment Simon Lalong is currently engaging the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Council in a bid to avert the strike called by the unions.
The workers have declared to embark on a two-day warning strike beginning on Tuesday. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) issued a statement on Friday, jointly signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, and National Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, declaring a nationwide strike. The decision was made due to the failure of the government led by President Bola Tinubu to engage in dialogue with organised labour to alleviate the impact of the removal of the petrol subsidy on the poor masses.
However, Idris said Lalong will continue with the engagement of the labour by holding another meeting on Monday, expressing hopes that the industrial action would not take place.
“Definitely, we are hoping the warning strike can be averted. They are still engaged in discussions and have started to understand each other’s position more. They will meet again on Monday, but the gaps are being closed. You know the new minister just came in and has just begun to engage with the NLC. Going forward, you will see more expeditious engagement with the labour union. So far, tension has reduced but work is still in progress. By Monday, they will meet again and hopefully find an amicable resolution on the issue.” he told Sunday PUNCH.
On what the Federal Government plans to do concerning the 21-day strike scheduled to commence later in the month if the parties fail to reach an agreement, the minister expressed conviction that the matter would be resolved before then.
He stated, “This is why I said we are trying to find a common ground to avert the impending strike. Once this is achieved, the other one would have been taken care of.”
