- The minister said he was confident that the matter would be resolved before then
- NLC said the strike would go on as planned as there was nothing the government could do to stop it
The Federal Government has said it will take necessary steps to forestall the impending warning strike scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Within Nigeria had reported that NLC last Friday announced a two-day warning strike following the failure of the Federal Government to address the perennial hardship in the country, which is largely occasioned by the removal of subsidy on petrol, and also the treatment of its members by governors in some states of the federation.
Recall that the organised labour, on the 2nd of August 2023, staged the “anti-people” protest policies of the administration of President Tinubu.
Following the declaration of the strike, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed that the federal government will move swiftly to avert the industrial action.
In an interview with PUNCH, Idris said the government would meet with union leaders on Monday.
Idris stated that the new minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, will find a lasting solution to the intractable prediction.
He said, “Definitely, we are hoping the warning strike can be averted. They are still engaged in discussions and have started to understand each other’s position more. They will meet again on Monday, but the gaps are being closed. You know the new minister just came in and has just begun to engage with the NLC. Going forward, you will see more expeditious engagement with the labour union. So far, tension has reduced but work is still in progress. By Monday, they will meet again and hopefully find an amicable resolution on the issue.”
Speaking on the plans of the Federal Government concerning the 21-day strike scheduled to commence later in the month if the parties fail to reach an agreement, the minister said he was confident that the matter would be resolved before then.
He stated, “This is why I said we are trying to find a common ground to avert the impending strike. Once this is achieved, the other one would have been taken care of”
Reaction to the minister’s claim, the NLC Assistant National Secretary, Christopher Onyeka, said claims of a scheduled meeting with FG to avert the warning strike are false.
He added that the strike would go on as planned as there was nothing the government could do to stop it.
He said, “They didn’t invite us to any meeting, so there is no meeting between us and the government. They have not met with us, and there is no official plan to meet with us.
“The labour movement is a negotiation platform built around dialogue. We are not the ones who left the table; it’s the government that has been running away from the table.”
“Our demands are heavy; they are not what the government can meet between now and Tuesday. We are going on strike and this is a warning strike”