The Federal Government has invited organised labour to a meeting in a last-minute bid to stop the planned October 3, 2023 nationwide strike announced by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress on Tuesday.
The two unions had declared an indefinite strike with effect from Tuesday to protest the alleged failure of the FG to provide post-subsidy palliatives for workers, but the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity assured Nigerians it would meet with the leadership of the unions before they shut down the economy.
The spokesperson for the labour ministry, Olajide Oshundun, said the meeting scheduled for Tuesday, would be centred on the pronouncements that would be made by President Bola Tinubu during his October 1 Independence Day broadcast.
Tinubu is expected to unveil the palliative package for workers in the customary presidential speech to commemorate Nigeria’s Independence Day.
Oshundun disclosed in an interview with one of our correspondents, that the two major demands from the unions had been presented to the government.
He further said that the Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Simon Lalong, had met one of the NLC’s demands which was the release of the factional National President of the National Association of Road Transport Workers, Tajudeen Baruwa, from police custody.
Baruwa and 21 others, including three national officers of the union, 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.
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