The NLC and TUC planning to embark on strike isn’t news to us, but let me break it down.
After the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited last week Wednesday announced a new price template of fuel pump price increase from N197 per litre to over N500, varying in different state, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, had threatened to embark on nationwide strike on Wednesday, demanding increase in minimum wage to 200,000 and tax holidays for workers to ease the hardships of high cost of transportation, food item and other commodities, caused by the about 200% increase in pump price, with the minimum wage still stagnant at 30,000.
But government had filed a suit to prevent the strike and the court ordered NLC to stay away any planned strike.
The duo agreed to suspend the planned nationwide strike, to enable further consultations as well as continue the ongoing engagements and secure closure on the resolutions.
Reading out the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, who led the government side, said seven resolutions were reached to address the situation.
The statement further reads that, the Federal Government, the TUC and the NLC would establish a joint committee to review the proposal for any wage increase or award and establish a framework and timeline for implementation.
Gbajabiamila added that the meeting also agreed to review issues hindering effective delivery in the education sector and propose solutions for implementation.
Hitherto, NLC kicked against a court order secured by the Federal Government restraining the Congress and the Trade Union Congress from embarking on the planned strike on Sunday.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, himself said the strike would go on Wednesday as planned, noting that the industrial court order came late after the close of the day’s work and the NLC is not aware of it and it wasn’t even mentioned in the meeting and that they won’t even find anybody at the NLC office to serve it to, as they would all be on the field mobilising for the strike.
At first Nigerians thought it going to be mayhem between the Congress and government with that statement by the Congress President, but as we have it, things shaped up between the parties.
Meanwhile, aviation and bank workers’ unions have directed their members to join the strike which is expected to ground airport operations and banking activities at all financial institutions nationwide.
Members of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, National Association of Road Transport Owners and Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, among others, also stressed that the over N13tn spent on subsidy by the Federal Government would have been deployed to develop other sectors of the economy.
They insisted that the government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, had run out of funds to sustain the fuel subsidy regime, highlighting the over N2.8tn subsidy debt that the federation currently owes the NNPCL.
The President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, said those agitating for the continuation of subsidy must understand that the country had spent over N13tn in subsidising petrol, at the detriment of key sectors of the economy.
He said the labour congress should give room for dialogue, stressing that oil marketers would not shut their filling stations as the NLC embarks on its nationwide industrial action.
The President of the National Association of Road Transport Owners, Yusuf Othman, said,
NARTO endorsed the immediate halt in the payment of subsidy on petrol and that they expect some palliative to be put in place.
He also urged Nigerians to be patient with the federal government and noted that there are few beneficiaries of the subsidy regime.
