The month of October started well for Mr. Idowu. The Independence Day holiday mixed with the planned strike of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) sounded good for every civil servant, not just Mr. Idowu.
Indeed, it was a time to lower tools and rest from all the hardship rocking Nigeria, especially for a civil servant with three kids.
However, what Idowu did not know was that the Federal Government had other plans in the box.
It became clear to Mr. Idowu that his holiday would be cut short when the Federal Government said it was hopeful of the organised labour suspending its planned indefinite strike.
The Offer
According to the government, the NLC and TUC will consider its offers.
The offer includes a ₦35,000 pay increase for all “treasury-paid” federal workers.
However, one question begs for answer, how could the government be so sure that the union will accept its offer?
Did You Miss? Remi Tinubu Defends Husband, Says He Is Not A Magician
Perhaps the government’s assurance is fueled by the fact that the hardship in Nigeria will leave the union with no option.
This was one of the highlights of the hours-long meeting between the Federal Government and the labour unions in Abuja on Sunday.
Earlier, President Bola Tinubu, in his Independence Day speech, announced a ₦25,000 pay bump.
He said the increase would apply to “low-grade” workers only.
This to him is a means of cushioning the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy.
“NLC and TUC will consider the offers by the Federal Government with a view to suspending the planned strike.
“This will allow for further consultations on the implementation of the resolutions above,” a statement by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said.
The Meeting
The virtual meeting was chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
It had the Governor of Kwara State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Abdulrazak Abdulrahman; and Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State in attendance.
There was also a labour delegation.
It was led by NLC President, Joe Ajaero; Deputy President, TUC; Dr Tommy Etim Okon; NLC General Secretary, Emma Ugboaja; and TUC General Secretary, Nuhu Toro, among others.
Others present included:
The information minister,
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong
Minister of State, Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha and
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu.
Others in attendance were:
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite
The Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan and
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
See the full statement below:
PRESS STATEMENT ON THE MEETING BETWEEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND LEADERSHIP OF THE NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS (NLC), AND TRADE UNION CONGRESS (TUC).
The Federal Government, on Sunday, October 1, 2023 met with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The meeting was on measures to address the dispute arising from the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
Basically, the parties noted the following:
i) The Federal Government has announced ₦35,000 only as provisional wage award.
This is for all treasury-paid federal government workers for six months, following further consultation with President Bola Tinubu.
ii) The Federal Government is committed to fast-tracking the provision of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses.
This will ease public transportation difficulties associated with the removal of PMS subsidy.
iii) The Federal Government commits to the provision of funds for micro and small-scale enterprises.
iv) VAT on diesel will be waived for the next 6 months.
v) The Federal Government will commence payment of ₦75,000 to 15 million households at ₦25,000 per month, for a three-month period from October-December 2023.
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS:
In light of the discussions held during the meeting, the following were the major highlights:
i) The Federal Government urged the Labour unions not to embark on strike.
This is because the issues in dispute can only be resolved when workers are at work.
ii) Labour Unions made case for higher wage award.
You May Like: Wike Declares War on Okada, Open Grazing In Abuja
iii) A sub-committee to be constituted to work out the details of implementation of all items regarding government interventions to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.
iv) The lingering matter of Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos State needs to be addressed urgently.
v.) NLC and TUC will consider the offers by the Federal Government with a view to suspending the planned strike to allow for further consultations on the implementation of the resolutions above.
Participation
Meanwhile, Governor Abdulrazak Abdulrahman of Kwara State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, participated virtually in the meeting.
It was chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Furthermore, the labour delegation was led by NLC President, Joe Ajaero, Dr Tommy Etim Okon.
Also, leading the delegation is the Deputy President, TUC, NLC General Secretary, Emma Ugboaja.
The TUC General Secretary, Nuhu Toro was also there.
Mallam Mohammed Idris Minister of Information and National Orientation released the statement on October 1, 2023.
