The planned strike by the Organized Labour over the removal of subsidy has been suspended following an agreement reached with the federal government on Monday night.
The decision to call off the strike came after a pivotal meeting held between representatives of the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) at the State House.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives and newly appointed chief of staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed the outcome of the meeting to correspondents and corroborated by both the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero and his TUC TUC counterpart, Festus Osifo.
As a result of the fruitful discussions, both the NLC and TUC have agreed to suspend their proposed strike.
During the meeting, Gbajabiamila addressed the State House correspondents and shared the details of the discussions.
He read a communique that outlined the agreement reached between the NLC, TUC, and the team appointed by President Tinubu to address the concerns arising from the removal of fuel subsidy.
The key points highlighted in the communique are as follows:
“The Federal Government, the TUC and the NLC to establish a joint committee to review the proposal for any wage increase or award and establish a framework and timeline for implementation.
“The Federal Government, the TUC and the NLC to review World Bank Financed Cash transfer scheme and propose inclusion of low-income earners in the program.
“The Federal Government, the TUC and the NLC to revive the CNG conversion program earlier agreed with Labor centers in 2021 and work out detailed implementation and timing.
“The Labour centers and the Federal Government to review issues hindering effective delivery in the education sector and propose solutions for implementation.
“The Labour centers and the Federal Government to review and establish the framework for completion of the rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries.
“The Federal Government to provide a framework for the maintenance of roads and expansion of rail networks across the country.
“All other demands submitted by the TUC to the Federal Government will be assessed by the joint committee.
Based on these discussions, the following agreements were reached:
- Immediate Suspension of Strike Notice: The NLC will suspend the strike notice to allow for further consultations.
- Continued Engagements: The TUC and NLC will maintain ongoing discussions with the Federal Government to ensure the resolution of the above-mentioned matters.
- Implementation Framework Meeting: A meeting between the Labour Centers and the Federal Government will take place on June 19, 2023, to finalise an implementation framework.
