NLC insists on going ahead with strike

The organised labour has insisted on going ahead with the planned strike action and protests after a meeting with the Presidential Steering Committee on palliatives set up by the Federal Government.

Leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) met with the committee on Wednesday at the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila at the Presidential Villa.

However, the meeting failed to convince the labour leaders to shelve their plan as they insisted on proceeding with the protests slated for August 2.

The meeting, which was attended by labour delegations led by the NLC President, Joe Ajaero and his TUC counterpart, Festus Osifo, was in continuation of the June 19 meeting over the initial increase of the petrol pump price to N520 per litre.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, Ajaero said: “We are going ahead with the protest because we have to be emphatic on what we put in our communique, to say we are commencing protests from August 2.”

Also speaking, the TUC President, Osifo, said both sides listened to the presentations from the Steering Committee secretariat and labour made its input afterwards.

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He said: “Some of the things they presented, we did not agree with them. So, the areas we did not agree on, we also made our inputs known because when you come to such a meeting, it is for the government or its representatives to do a presentation.

“But it’s left for us to either agree or disagree. So, during the meeting, we gave them sufficient feedback. And they also agreed to go and look at those feedbacks and get back to us on Friday.”

The Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen, however said the discussions achieved some progress in negotiations.

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She explained: “We’ve agreed to continue to make progress. It was a very productive meeting.

“The focus was really around how we fast track a lot of the interventions that will bring relief, particularly around CNG, mass transportation, cleaner energy, transportation and reduce the impact of the cost of transportation.”

Speaking further on why the rollout of palliatives is being delayed, she said: “We have to get it right. We must do this well, and we keep our promises. So, it’s important that whatever is announced gets done.”

According to Verheijen, the President was working assiduously to address the issues “as quickly as he can.”