Nigerian Workers to Embark on Nationwide Strike as Government Fails to Meet Demands
The Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) conference to prevent an impending strike action has come to an end without producing a workable solution.
In an effort to prevent organized labor from starting new industrial action, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, met with Joe Ajaero, the president of the NLC, and other leaders on Monday in Abuja.
The meeting is anticipated to go on later. The minister is, however, also scheduled to meet with the TUC’s (Trade Union Congress) top brass today.
Prior to the two-day strike on September 5 and 6, the minister had invited the National Labor Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to a meeting.
However, “only the TUC showed up for the meeting,” the ministry added.
At the meeting on Monday, Lalong pledged to work with organized labor to respond to the concerns of the labor unions in a fair and reasonable manner.
He urged the labor leaders to approach the conversations honestly and realistically.
The minister expressed hope that the gathering will result in a decision of national importance.
NLC President Joe Ajaero responded by stating that his team was attending the conference with mixed emotions in order to determine whether “something will happen or not,” as many previous sessions of a similar nature had failed to produce a successful outcome.
He added that the strikes in the past that the minister had mentioned were the result of the distress that Nigerian workers had to endure as a result of the elimination of gasoline subsidies.
He claimed that after numerous meetings, not a single one of the agreements with the Federal Government was addressed.
Ajaero also angrily denounced the raid on the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) office, which resulted in the arrest and detention of some of its leaders.
He claims such action is sufficient in and of itself for the NLC to move through with their intended strike.
