The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) will today embark on a two-day warning strike due to the increasing hardship and suffering across the country, which they attribute to the removal of fuel subsidies.
This came even as the NLC refused to attend a meeting with the Federal Government yesterday to discuss the ongoing crisis, and possibly put an end to the strike.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, who waited for the no-show NLC at yesterday’s meeting said the strike action would exacerbate the difficulties faced by ordinary Nigerians and urged the NLC to reconsider.
Last Friday, the NLC issued a notice of the two-day warning strike as a protest against the widespread suffering and impoverishment endured by Nigerians.
The labor union threatened a total and indefinite shutdown of the economy within 14 working days or 21 days after the warning strike if the government failed to address the citizens’ hardships.
While briefing on Friday after its NEC’s meeting, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said: “NEC in session of NLC resolved to embark on a total and indefinite shutdown of the nation within 14 working days or 21 days from today until steps are taken by the government to address the excruciating mass suffering and the impoverishment experienced around the country.”
Why we shun FG meeting- NLC
Despite FG’s appeal to NLC to reconsider the strike, sources in the union leadership indicated that the strike would proceed today.
According to a Vanguard report, a media briefing by the minister before the meeting, where he criticized labor leaders and issued threats, led the NLC to skip the scheduled meeting. The NLC leaders cited concerns about possible arrests as a reason for not attending.
The minister was said to have threatened the NLC leaders at his briefing, foreclosing any chance that NLC would honour the meeting.
One NLC leader stated: “We were scheduled to meet the Minister of Labour and Employment later today (yesterday), precisely by 3 pm but a few hours to the meeting, the minister called a media briefing where he castigated us and threatened us among other uncomplimentary words.
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“Not that the meeting would have stopped the strike, but we intended to attend the meeting in the spirit of social dialogue. But as you are aware, the Minister of Labour, before the scheduled meeting, held a media briefing castigating and threatening us.
‘’You do not expect us to attend a meeting when we had been warned of a possible arrest.
‘’You do not expect us to attend a meeting when we had been warned of a possible arrest.
“In fact, we thank the minister for putting us on notice of their plan. So, the right thing to do is to keep away from such meetings and avoid any possible arrest.
“What the minister had done was nothing short of industrial dictatorship and naked blackmail. The Federal Government had already taken decision on the proposed meeting, the minister was kind enough to hold a briefing ahead of the meeting to disclose part of the government’s decision.
The leader added that the union will will determine what next steps to follow after Wednesday.
FG appeals for 2 weeks to finalise on demands
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has appealed for a period of two weeks to finalised on organised labour demands.
Mr Simon Lalong said this while addressing newsmen at end of a closed door meeting with the Trade Union Congress(TUC) on Monday in Abuja.
Lalong said the meeting was called to avert the proposed nationwide warning strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
GOOD EVENING NIGERIA reports that the NLC were absent at the meeting called by the minister, but TUC leaders honoured the meeting.
The Federal Government had earlier appealed to NLC to suspend proposed 2-days warning nationwide strike.
Also, the TUC in a communique had said the need to embark on strike had not arisen but would allow conversation with government to address grey areas.
According to Lalong, government bis going to address those issues within the period of two weeks and come back for further discussion.
“Some of the issues we discussed are those that are very urgent. There are some that will require a long span of time. This was the basis of our discussion.
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“We agreed that there should be no strike within the two-week period while we are doing our deliberations and working towards realising some of these objectives,” he said.
Also, Mr Festus Osifo, the President of TUC, said some of the issues requiring urgent attention included implementation of palliatives and wage award.
He said others are tax exemptions and allowances to public sector workers; modalities for N70 billion Small and Medium Enterprises and RTEAN crisis.
“In the palliatives that were rolled out we have not seen anything put in place for federal workers.
“We need a wage award. The palliatives rolled out by the government are not far-reaching. We believe that the government can do much more,” he said.
Osifo also said that the TUC leadership would continue to engage with the federal government to ensure that its demands are addressed.
Banks, other financial institutions join NLC’s two-day strike
The National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) says its members will join the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in its two-day strike action.
In a statement signed by Mohammed Sheikh, its general secretary, NUBIFIE directed all members to stay off duty during the two-day strike.
This means that workers in Nigerian banks such as GTB, Zenith Bank, Access Bank as well as insurance companies, and other financial institutions are likely to stay off work.
“In line with the communique issued after the meeting of National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) held on Thursday 31 August 2023, all affiliates should direct all its members to commence two days’ withdrawal of services from Tuesday, September 5 and Wednesday, September 6, 2023,” the statement, dated September 2, 2023, reads.
“The directive is imperative to get the needed attention of the government and warn it of its newfound love of meddling in the internal affairs of unions rather than address the punishing economic circumstances we find ourselves in.
“We hereby direct all our organs to comply with this directive by ensuring all our members stay off duty for the two days.
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Commenting on the union’s resolve to join the strike on Tuesday, Abakpa Anthony, president NUBIFIE, said members of the bank and insurance companies were also being affected by the economic hardship.
“You know we are also part of the suffering, hence the reason why we must join the NLC in the strike.’’
“The directive stands unless the federal government says otherwise.”