The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says it will carry out its planned industrial action over the federal government’s “anti-labour practices”.
Joe Ajaero, president of NLC, spoke to state house journalists on Wednesday after meeting with the federal government’s steering committee on palliatives led by Olu Verheijen, special adviser to the president on Energy.
The congress had issued a seven-day ultimatum to the government for the reversal of all “anti-poor” and “insensitive” policies.
Giving updates on the impasse, Ajaero insisted that the proposed industrial action stands if nothing is done to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians brought about by the petrol price hike.
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The NLC president said the two centres (NLC and TUC) have made their position known to the government as well as Nigerians.
Asked if the labour was going ahead with the planned protests if the federal government does not reverse the “anti-labour policies”, he said: “Well, policies? I would not know, we are going ahead with the protest because we have to be emphatic on what we put in our communique, to say we are commencing protests from the 2nd.”
“There is the N520 increment, which gave birth to this meeting.
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“Nobody is discussing about the N617 as of now and this meeting did not have the competence to address that.”
On his part, Festus Osifo, president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), said the clamour of the organised labour was for the government to ameliorate the plight of Nigerians.
“So, all we are saying is that the government must do that as a matter of urgency; because we do not have that time anymore. So, as a matter of urgency [they] must roll out various programs that will create alternatives to PMS, and also palliatives.
“So, these are the two focus, alternative to PMS, that is about the CNG and also the palliatives that must be brought out to ameliorate these sufferings Nigerians are experiencing.”
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Osifo added that the organised labour will meet with the presidency on Friday.
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