The Nigeria Labour Congress on Wednesday the Federal Government to reverse all “anti-poor” and anti-workers policies within seven days or risk a nationwide strike.
It listed the policies as including the recent petrol price hike, the increase in school fees and the Value Added Tax increase.
The NLC also demanded release of the eight months withheld salary of university lecturers as well as inauguration of the Presidential Steering Committee as agreed in the earlier consequential dialogues.
It resolved to call on all civil society organisations and Nigerians wherever they might be to begin mobilization to take action on their own to save the nation if the ultimatum was not met before August 2.
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Joe Ajaero and Emmanuel Ugboaja, the president and the secretary of the NLC respectively stated this in a communique they jointly issued at the end of the congress’ emergency Central Working Committee.
They alleged government’s insensitivity to the plights of Nigerians.
The NLC said it wondered why the government had continued to treat Nigerians as slaves and a conquered people by treating them with impunity.
It alleged that the government had shown enormous disdain and contempt for Nigerian people and workers having acted and continued to act “without regards to the welfare and cries of the citizenry.”
It said the government seemed to have declared a war of attrition on Nigerian workers and masses without any care, “leaving them to the throes of hopelessness and helplessness.”
The NLC resolved to lead and organize mass protest rallies across Nigeria to demonstrate outrage against “the inhuman” actions and policies of the government.
It also resolved to direct all its affiliates and state councils to begin immediate mobilization and closely work with associations, individuals and other entities, including the ones already on the streets, to ensure that the government listens to the people.
Reacting to the labour’s planned strike, Executive Director, Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Ibrahim Zikirullahi, in a chat with Daily Trust, said the NLC ought to publish an internal memo to its affiliates requesting action within seven days rather than issue an ultimatum to “a government that no longer takes them seriously, and a government that is entirely deaf to the welfare of the people.”
Executive Director, Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre, Ezenwa Nwagwu, said that the “NLC is a creation of the law and thus cannot act arbitrarily.”
Chief Executive, Connected Development, Hamzat Lawal, said: “The NLC and many other groups are dealing with trust deficit and NLC is not clear on her demands which must be realistic that should deal with current hardship of low income households and workforce.”
Later yesterday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appealed to the organised labour to give him more time to look into their grievances rather than embark on industrial action.
The speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, disclosed this to reporters after he briefed the president on the outcome of their engagement with the National Association of Resident Doctors, which had declared a nationwide strike action.
He said the president appealed that he was new in office and needed time to evaluate the issues being raised by workers.
He said the House would also invite the NLC to hear their grievances and persuaded it to shelve its planned strike.
The Special Adviser to the President on Energy on Energy, Olu Verheijin, said the government was meeting with the leadership of the organised labour to prevent strike.
She said this after a meeting of Federal Government’s Steering Committee on Palliatives that comprised leadership of NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Verheijen led FG’s team during the meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja in continuation of continuation of their talks on palliatives to cushion the effect of subsidy removal.
She said the labour unions would speak on the threat of the NLC to protest but added that the steering committee meeting focused on how stakeholders could fast-track interventions that would bring relief, particularly around Compressed Natural Gas, mass transportation, cleaner energy, transportation, and reduce the impact of the cost of transportation.
Verheijen said the government was yet to roll out palliatives because it didn’t want to make mistakes.
She said the meeting with the organised labour was productive and would continue on Friday.
Asked why it was taking so long to roll out some of your palliatives the government promised Nigerians, she said, “We have to get it right. It’s important that we do this well, and we keep our promises. So it’s important that whatever is announced actually gets done because we don’t want to make big announcements that will continue to lose people’s trust. It’s important that we build trust, and that most of the announcements and the plans that we roll out are credible and impactful.”
Speaking after the meeting, President of NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero said the meeting has nothing to do with the proposed protest.
Ajaero said, “Well the outcome is very brief. We met based on N520 increase and the committee that was set based on that that and we agreed to work to realize the objectives that was set during that moment.”
Asked if the NLC will go ahead with the threat to go on strike on August 2 if the federal government failed to reverse alleged anti-labour policies, Ajaero said, “Well, protest,? I wouldn’t know, we are going ahead with the protest because we have to be emphatic on what we put in our communique, we said we’re commencing protests from the 2nd.”
By Idowu Isamotu, Muideen Olaniyi & Abbas Jimoh
