In an attempt to stop the October 3 commencement date of the indefinite strike by organised labour, President Bola Tinubu will in his nationwide broadcast on October 1 unveil a palliatives package for Nigerian workers.
As a follow-up to that, the Federal Government has called for an urgent meeting with organized labor to halt the nationwide strike scheduled for October 3, 2023. The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress had declared an indefinite strike from Tuesday to demand post-subsidy palliatives for workers. However, the government has assured Nigerians of its commitment to meet with union leaders before they shut down the economy.
The spokesperson for the labor ministry, Olajide Oshundun, asserts that the upcoming meeting scheduled for Tuesday will focus on the pronouncements made by President Bola Tinubu during his October 1 Independence Day broadcast. During this broadcast, Tinubu is expected to unveil the palliative package for workers in the customary presidential speech to commemorate Nigeria’s Independence Day.
In an interview with one of our correspondents, Oshundun firmly stated that the government has received the two major demands from the unions and is taking the necessary steps to meet them. The Minister of Labor, Employment, and Productivity, Simon Lalong, has already addressed one of the NLC’s demands by releasing the factional National President of the National Association of Road Transport Workers, Tajudeen Baruwa, from police custody.
Baruwa and others had been detained by the police for alleged criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, public disturbance, and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
Oshundun noted that the second major demand was on the wage award for workers which the Labour centres said would help in mitigating the suffering occasioned by the removal of the petrol subsidy.
He said, “We will avert the strike. We got the news of their intention to go on strike. They need to be rest assured that there will be a pronouncement in the October 1 speech of Mr President for Nigerian workers.
‘’The ministry is working assiduously to meet with the second aspect of the demand which focuses on the wage award. We have already secured the release of the NURTW factional chairman.
‘’So we hope to invite them on Tuesday following the pronouncement of the president to see reasons for them to call off the strike.”
Several union leaders, including the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, and the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions, Prof Theophilus Ndubaku, the National Treasurer of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Mercy Lanka, and the General Secretary of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, Ibrahim Bomoi, among others, have announced their plans to embark on a nationwide strike.
The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ajaero, stated during a meeting with over 90 participants that the walkout would be carried out in collaboration with the Trade Union Congress (TUC). The TUC had earlier declined to participate in the two-day strike declared by the NLC on September 5 and 6, preferring to give the Federal Government a two-week grace while sustaining its ongoing dialogue with government officials.
However, Ajaero explained that the TUC had decided to participate in the strike following a meeting with the leadership of the congress led by its National President, Festus Osifo. The TUC later endorsed the decision at a joint media briefing held by Ajaero and the TUC president in Abuja on Tuesday.
During the NLC National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, Ajaero alleged that agents of the government were planning to divide the ranks of the congress and that there were rumours of a possible compromise by the congress’ leadership. He denied these rumours and called on anyone with information to come forward.
Ajaero also informed the NEC-in-session of the plans to ground economic activities in the country from Tuesday. He accused the FG of a lackadaisical stance towards the demands raised by the unions since the subsidy removal policy took effect. He accused the government of deliberate refusal to engage in a meaningful and constructive dialogue within the ambit of good faith during the 21-day ultimatum and the two-day nationwide warning strike.
The union leader explained that the NLC and TUC National Executive Councils in their various meetings deeply analysed the current situation in the country, taking into cognisance the hardships and deprivation afflicting the citizens across all the states of the federation. He said both NECs unanimously condemned the government’s tardiness in handling the consequences of its petrol price hike on Nigerians.
Ajaero noted that there was no disagreement between Labour and government on the existence of the massive suffering, impoverishment, and hunger in the country as a result of the hike in the price of petrol which required an urgent remedial action. He accused the government of abdicating its responsibility and ‘had shown gross unwillingness to act, thereby abandoning Nigerian people and workers to excruciating poverty and affliction.’ The NLC and TUC NEC-in-session observed that the Tinubu administration has demonstrated a complete lack of intention to take positive steps to rescue the multi-dimensionally impoverished citizens.
Ajaero stated, “The Federal Government has, therefore, not met in any substantial way the demands of Nigerian workers and peoples as previously canvassed in our mutually agreed roadmap to salvaging the economy and protecting workers and Nigerians from the monumental hardship. The grace period given by the government has elapsed without any positive response to the demands of the Nigerian people and workers.”
He stated, “The Federal Government has, therefore, not met in any substantial way the demands of Nigerian workers and peoples as previously canvassed in our mutually agreed roadmap to salvaging the economy and protecting workers and Nigerians from the monumental hardship.
“The grace period given by the two labour centres has expired but the trade unions continue to face severe threat from the state via the brutal and suppressive power of the police and government.
“The National Union of Road Transport Workers office continues to be illegally occupied by the government via the instrumentality of the police who have cloned the leadership of NURTW.’’
‘’The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria continues to be illegally occupied by the Lagos State government in total disregard for the courts and the statutes.
“That the state has continued to blackmail and sponsor serious campaigns of calumny against trade union leaders on social media using its buying and coercive powers instead of making efforts to lift the burden on the masses,” the NLC President alleged without providing any evidence.
Disclosing the decisions jointly taken by the NLC and TUC, Osifo said, ‘’Consequently, the NLC and TUC NEC-in-session resolved as follows: To, in the spirit of the Independence Day celebration and to demonstrate our resolve for a truly independent Nigeria to take our destinies in our own hands and rescue our nation
“To embark on an indefinite and total shutdown of the nation beginning on zero hours Tuesday, the 3rd day of October, 2023; To direct all workers in Nigeria to withdraw their services from their respective workplaces commencing from the 3rd of October.
“To direct all affiliates and state councils to immediately start mobilizing accordingly for action to organise street protests and rallies until government responds positively to our demands
“We enjoin all patriotic Nigerians to join hands across the nation to assist this government put the people back at the centre of its policies and programmes.”
Speaking earlier on Channels TV, Osifo said the union was tired of the promises by the labour ministry to implement the unions’ demands, stressing that the TUC wanted concrete actions.
The TUC is demanding wage awards for civil servants to cushion the hardship occasioned by fuel subsidy removal, tax exemption for some categories of workers, as well as setting up structures for the effective implementation of the palliatives from the FG.
He said, “In the last meeting we had with the ministry of labour, they told us the same thing that the president was out of the country and when he comes back they believe that he will make the pronouncement.
“But I saw it this morning that he said the pronouncement will come soon but again we are really tired of soon, we want a definite pronouncement, we want a definite solution to these lingering issues.
“At the end of the day, we have been hearing dates, we have been hearing it will come today, tomorrow or next tomorrow, we are relatively tired of promises; all we want is action.
“Nigerians are tired of a lot of meetings, lots of promises, what we want is concrete action, so we are tired of promises and promises.”
