President Bola Tinubu has appealed to organised labour to give him more time to look into their grievances rather than embark on industrial action.
The Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) had issued a seven-day ultimatum to Federal Government to reverse all perceived anti-people policies, including the recent hike in the pump price of petrol or face an indefinite nationwide strike from August 2.
NLC also instructed all its affiliates and state councils to immediately start organising workers and other Nigerians, including their civil society allies, for a protracted strike and large-scale demonstrations should the government fail to meet its conditions for fuel subsidy removal.
NLC reached the decision at its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting held Tuesday at its headquarters in Abuja.
But Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, told State House Correspondents after leading members of his leadership to brief the president on the outcome of their engagement with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), that Tinubu has asked for more to look into the grieviance of the workers.
“What he said is that he’s just coming on board. We should ask them and beg them to please give him a little more time. The things that they mentioned, he is completely unaware of them, he is yet to be briefed about all those issues.
“But from what he heard from me, he also advised that we should channel some of those issues to the Chief of Staff to look at them one after the other.
“I believe the next coming days, some concerted actions will be taken.”
The Speaker said the House leadership invited NARD following their intention to go on strike, saying that the lawmakers succeeded in persuading the union to shelve the plan.
“Sequel to the meeting we had with them, there were series of conditions that they gave, that we felt we need to share with the president,” he said.
The Speaker maintained that the purpose of the visit to the presidential villa on Wednesday was to intimate the President of the progress made with the doctors association.
He also disclosed that the House leadership also used the visit for familiarity purposes as they had met with the president since they emerged leaders.
Asked why the second visit in 24 hours to the State House, Abbas said: “Yesterday’s visit was primarily to brief Mr President on our engagement with National Residents Doctors Association whom we got wind were planning to embark on strike.
“So, we invited them and we persuaded to withdraw that plan. Sequel to the meetings we had with them, there were series of conditions that they gave that we felt that we need to share with Mr President. And that is what brought me yesterday, to intimate him on what we have discussed and the agreements so far reached them and issues that they have raised that need his attention.”
Asked what the House was doing to halt the August 2 protest by organised NLC, Abbas said: “In the same manner, same way, we will also invite them to come and sit so that we hear their grievances and then we follow the same pattern of engaging and persuading them to give us a little time so that we can be able to meet their expectations.”
Meanwhile, the President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, has insisted that the August 2 protest date stands if nothing is done to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians brought about by increase in the price of PMS.
He spoke to State House Correspondents after meeting with Federal Government’s Steering Committee on Palliatives led by the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen.
Asked the outcome of the meeting, Ajaero said: “Well the outcome is very brief. We met based on N520 increase and the committee that was set based on that and we agreed to to work to realise the objectives that was set during the last moment.”
Asked organised Labour’s position on the palliatives yet to be provided, he said: “The two centers have made their position known and is before Nigerians, the TUC, the NLC, our position is known. And it’s public knowledge.”
On whether Labour was going ahead with August 2nd plan protests if the federal government doesn’t reverse anti-labour policies, he said: “Well, policies? I wouldn’t know, we are going ahead with the protest because we have to be emphatic on what we put in our communique, to say we’re commencing protests from the August 2nd.
In communique issued, yesterday, after the meeting signed by its President, Joe Ajaero and General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, the union said the Federal Government had shown enormous disdain and contempt for Nigerian people and workers having acted and continuing to act without regards to the welfare and cries of citizens..
It said the government’s conduct suggests it does not intend to commit itself to the MoU it signed with NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
According to the Congress, Nigerians were outraged and have been putting pressure on the NLC to lead them in protest against the increases in the pump price of PMS.
“That Government seems to have declared a war of attrition on Nigerian workers and masses without any care leaving them to the throes of hopelessness and helplessness. That the Federal Government has refused to put in place safeguards to protect Nigerians from the harsh economic situation that its policies have inflicted on the people, rather it has decided to insult the sensibilities of Nigerian masses by offering us N8,000 per family and offering themselves N70 billion.
“That the Federal Government has frustrated and abandoned its own committee which was a product of social dialogue between the government and workers organizations in the country. While the committee has not met, the government embarked on unilateral actions and programs.”
NLC said since President Tinubu’s “subsidy is gone forever” speech at inauguration day, the peace of mind of Nigerians and decent living have gone, leaving in its wake increasing despair of unimaginable dimensions.
The NLC accused the Federal Government of treating Nigerians with impunity as slaves and conquered people without any concern on the consequences.
“The Federal Government has continued in an unholy mission of robbing the poor to pay the rich in Nigeria as typified by its continued frustration of the activation of the agreed alternatives to Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and new hike in prices of PMS to N617 per litre. That the Federal Government has continued to promote the gang up of the ruling elite against Nigerian people and workers. Observes that the Federal Government has continued to churn out without relenting policies designed to emasculate Nigerian workers and people via not just increases in PMS prices with its spiraling affect but also increases in VAT, increases in school fees across all publicly owned secondary and tertiary institutions of learning that the NNPCL has turned itself into the forces of demand and supply and fixes the price of petroleum products while mouthing deregulation.
That the pressure has come to a breaking point and given the government’s continued indifference to the plight of the poor, resolved that, It would not be party to the killing of poor Nigerian workers and masses; that it is the responsibility of men and women of conscience propelled by patriotic zeal to take necessary action to protect democracy and our beloved nation since it is clear that the federal government is not interested in discussions having exhausted half of the agreed 8 weeks without activating the President Steering Committee.”
The CWC-in-session also demanded the immediate inauguration of the Presidential Steering Committee as agreed in earlier consequential dialogues between the Federal Government and the congress.
NLC called on all civil society organizations and Nigerians wherever they may be to begin mobilisation to take action on their own to save the nation.
Credit: Daily Sun