…Accuses Tinubu of giving lawmakers N100million each
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the Federal Government of absconding from the negotiation table on ways to remedy the untold hardship on Nigerians as a result of the unplanned removal of subsidy from Premium Motor Spirit (petrol).
The Union said since the Federal Government failed to meet the demands of workers, it may no longer notify the government before embarking on any action it deems fit.
This was as it alleged that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration which is busy insulting Nigerians with few bags of rice to hundreds of thousands of Nigerians in each Local Government Area to share, has doled out N100million to each of the Federal legislators.
The National Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, Mr Christopher Onyeka, who stated the position of Labour, said that the Union wrote the Federal Government on September 1, 2023, listing its demands, adding that by September 22, 2023, when the 21-day ultimatum will end, the Union would be left with other choice than to commence nationwide strike without notice.
Onyeka further explained that among the demands of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), include wage awards, implementation of palliatives, tax exemptions and allowances to the public sector workers and a review of the minimum wage.
In the words of Onyeka; “We have made it clear that the Federal Government has abandoned and absconded from the table for negotiation. The government is no longer negotiating with Nigerians and there is no good faith negotiation that is going on.
“President Bola Tinubu promised Nigerians on his own on the television with the President of NLC, Joe Ajaero that he was going to restructure the committees, but, he did not do that. “And since then, the committees have not met and there has been no negotiation that is on-going. As it is, NLC is not negotiating with the government,” he said.
Speaking on the palliatives by the Federal Government, Onyeka described it as an insult on Nigerians saying that while a ward was made to share a bag of rice which the government said is palliative, the same government gave legislators N70bn and each of the legislators gets over N100m in a country where Nigerians are suffering.
According to Onyeka; “The Federal Government is buying cars and houses of over N100m for each legislator and Nigerians are keeping quiet as if what is going on is a normal thing.
The organised labour therefore warned that it would commence an indefinite strike should the Federal Government fail to meet its demands at the end of a 21-day ultimatum which is expected to expire in a week’s time.
The NLC explained that the proposed strike was necessary following the failure of the Federal Government to provide palliatives to assuage the Nigerians’ excrutiating hardships as a result of the fuel subsidy removal.
It said that the proposed strike may commence any day from next week, adding that would lead to shutdown of commercial and economic activities across the country.
