Leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have informed President Bola Tinubu’s government that the 14-day nationwide strike notice must be respected.
At a meeting on Monday between labour leaders and officials from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, led by Minister of State for Labour Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, the labour leaders stated that only the government could halt the planned strike by addressing the 15-point agreement reached on October 2, 2023.
One of the union leaders at the meeting stated that though the minister urged with the labor leaders to suspend the scheduled strike, stressing that the federal government was already addressing labor requests, the labour leaders remained determined.
“We categorically told the minister and her team that our ultimatum stands. We were emphatic that only the government can stop the strike by honouring the agreement we reached on October 2, 2023.
“We cannot say the meeting was a deadlock because it has opened avenue for discussion. If the government had been opened to discussions, probably, we would not have issued the strike notice. As it is, we are not going back on the ultimatum, not with the mass suffering and poverty across the country. Well, the responsibility lies with government,” he said.
Recall that leaders of NLC and TUC had on February 8, issued a 14 day strike notice to the Federal Government effective February 9, expressing disgust that despite organised labour’s efforts at ensuring industrial peace, the government seemed unperturbed over the mass suffering and hardship across the country.
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