By Ayo Yusuf
The agreement between the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the government of President Bola Tinubu is about to fall apart as organised labour accuses the president’s Wage Panel of unseriousness.
Labour said it was no longer comfortable with the wage panel because from all indications the committee appeared to be dragging its feet.
The Nigeria Labour Congress further reiterated its rejection of President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila‘s role in the negotiations on effect of subsidy removal.
According to Organized Labour, it became imperative to reject the president’s panel after been convinced that it is not capable of resolving the issue.
Speaking Tuesday after their meeting with the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio and the leadership of the Senate, the National President of NLC, Joe Ajaero noted that Tinubu’s wage award committee is yet to sit two months after the removal of fuel subsidy in Nigeria.
The leadership of the NLC and that of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) was led by their presidents, Comrades Joe Ajaero and Festus Osifo, respectively.
Ajaero said, “Part of our challenge is the issue of the committee put in place ,the committee seem not to be capable , as labor we have done with Negotiation and engagement with the government from the time of Ikaite, as SGF, kingibe, Pius Anyim and Boss Mustapha.
“At no time had the chief of Staff to the president who is very busy called to negotiate or lead negotiations.
“And that has delayed the issues , even since after our protest , another meeting have not reconvened , although president promised that he will restructure the mechanism of engagement with government to help things to be treated fast.
“We had agreed on wage award, and up till this moment the committee on wage award is yet to sit.”
Speaking at the meeting earlier, the NLC President who lamented the plight of Nigerians following removal of fuel subsidy without palliatives told the lawmakers that while Labour leaders were still deliberating on N537 per liter of fuel and Court had ruled for status quo to remain , the government decided to increase the fuel to N620 per liter.
Speaking further Mr. Ajaero who noted that Labour stil had no details of the $800 million government intended to borrow to cushion effect of subsidy urged the Federal government not to use the record that was used in the past by the previous administration. “Nothing is yet to happen on the issue of 800million Projected to be borrowed, we have not perfected the list of the people who will benefit from it .
We should not follow the record that was used in 2019 because we’ve our doubts on that record.And no indices have been put forward to dictate those that are termed poor.”
In his response, the President of the Senate Akpabio hailed Organized Labour for their patience and understanding saying although the President has saved N1 trillion as a result of fuel subsidy removal he inherited a broke country with debt over N30 trillion.
Senator Akpabio assured the aggrieved Labour Union of the National Assembly’s readiness to partner with the labour unions to proffer lasting solution to the perennial trade disputes in the country, through the enactment of laws that would bring back smiles to the faces of workers and Nigerians.
