The Federal Government has set a two-week timeline on wage awards, tax exemptions, and allowances to public sector workers to “cushion the pain and anguish they are going through as a result of subsidy removal,” as put forward by the Trade Union Congress.
The government also agreed to iron out the modalities of accessing the intervention fund that was recently announced as a palliative for micro, small, and Medium Enterprises.
The Congress said only federal workers had not benefited from the palliatives rolled out by the government so far.
The President of the TUC, Comrade Festus Osifo, said this on Monday during a meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong.
This is as the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) boycotted the meeting convened by Lalong targeted at averting the two-day warning strike already declared by the NLC.
Only the leadership of TUC, led by its President, Osifo, showed up for the meeting slated for 3:00 p.m. but started at exactly 5:32 p.m.
The meeting lasted 30 minutes.
Some of the issues requiring urgent attention included the implementation of palliatives, wage awards, tax exemptions and allowances for public sector workers, modalities for N70 billion SMEs, and the RTEAN crisis, among others.
Lalong said, “We are going to address those issues within 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.
“We agreed that there should be no strike within the two weeks while we are doing our deliberations and working towards realising some of these objectives.”
Before the meeting went into a closed-door session, Osifo said the TUC leadership would continue to engage with the federal government to ensure that its demands were addressed.
The TUC ruled out any plans to join the two-day warning strike declared by the NLC.
He said, “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.”
In a communiqué released by the TUC at the end of its National Executive Council meeting on Sunday, the TUC hailed some of the steps taken by the government to cushion the effects of subsidy removal on workers.
It urged the government to increase the amount provided for palliative care as the N5 billion given to each state was “grossly inadequate.”
The communiqué, which was jointly signed by TUC President Osifo and General Secretary Nuhu Toro, reads: “The Federal Government must intensify discussions with the labour unions on palliatives and alternatives as earlier promised.
“To increase the amount provided for palliatives as N5 billion given to each state is grossly inadequate.
“The federal government should deploy a high-powered monitoring team to ensure that the palliatives get to the right people.
“President Tinubu should within the next one week make a categorical statement on Wage awards, tax exemptions, and allowances to public sector workers to cushion the pain and anguish they are going through.
“The modalities of accessing the intervention fund that was recently announced as palliatives for Micro, small, and Medium Enterprises should be spelt out and implemented immediately.
“That a national monitoring team be set up that will monitor the distribution of Palliatives across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
The ad hoc committee, whose aim is to ensure verifiable and judicious utilisation of the palliative, will work with the various state councils to ensure that palliatives get to the poorest of the poor and are not used for political patronage.
These committees, which will be headed by a NAC member, will be stratified along the six geopolitical zones for effectiveness and efficiency.
“Palliatives in themselves do not solve the long-term challenges or hardship faced by the people; such long-lasting programmes and initiatives should be evolved that will properly address the sufferings of the people in the long term.
“As of today, the need to embark on a nationwide strike hasn’t arisen; hence, the leadership of Congress should intensify the conversation with the government so that all grey areas identified could be ironed out within the time frame given, beyond which we cannot guarantee industrial harmony.
“We therefore urge the Government to do the needful to avoid a situation where the TUC, its affiliates, and allies would be compelled to confront the government.”
The TUC also gave the Lagos State Government a two-week ultimatum to obey the court order and dispense with the impasse with the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) or face a total shutdown effective midnight on September 18, 2023.
The communiqué added: “The LASG is given a two-week ultimatum within which it should obey the court order and dispense with the impasse with RTEAN, or face a total shutdown effective midnight on September 18, 2023. All affiliates of the TUC and the Lagos State Council of Congress are directed to commence full mobilisation for the total shutdown in Lagos.
Earlier, Lalong appealed to the leadership of NLC to suspend its planned two-day warning strike, slated to commence tomorrow
The minister promised to attend to the contending issues raised by the NLC holistically if given some time to settle into office.
He noted that although the ministry had yet to get a notification of the planned strike as required by law from the NLC, the ministry would be having a meeting with the labour leaders by 3 p.m. today (Monday) with the hope of apprehending the planned strike.
While expressing worry that the planned action would reverse the gains already made, the minister, who promised never to take labour and Nigerian workers for granted, maintained that the federal government had already initiated some actions to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal and was willing to find solutions to the challenges confronting Nigerians as a result of its policies.
He said: “It has become pertinent to appeal to the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to suspend its intended two-day warning strike, as such action would be detrimental to the gains already being recorded on our course to securing a greater future for Nigerian workers and citizens at large.
“Furthermore, I would request that the Comrade Leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress give this government some time to settle and address the issues on the ground holistically.
“It should be realised that the cabinet of this administration was only recently sworn in by Mr President, and all cabinet members have hit the ground running by receiving briefings from their MDAs. Therefore, the issues raised by the leadership of the NLC are some issues that I and the Hon. Minister of State for Labour and Employment are being briefed upon. In the next few weeks, we intend to address them holistically.
“Consequently, I use this opportunity to reassure Nigerian workers that this government will never take them for granted nor fail to appreciate their support and understanding.
We shall continue to pursue policies aimed at massive employment generation in all sectors of the economy as well as look into the immediate challenges that have emerged from the policies of the government. We cannot do this in an atmosphere devoid of industrial peace.”
The NLC on Friday declared its intention to proceed on a two-day warning strike.
The NLC stated that the warning strike was in preparation for a total shutdown of the economy, which will commence in 21 days.
The NLC announced its decision to go on the two-day warning strike at the end of its National Executive Council meeting, which was held in the early hours of Friday, September 1, 2023.
A communiqué released by the NLC and jointly signed by its National President, Joe Ajaero, and Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, said the decision followed the “failure of the Tinubu-led Federal Government to dialogue and engage stakeholders within the organised labour on efforts to cushion the effects of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, on the poor masses.”
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