Nationwide strike: NLC ultimatum ends today

Yesterday, with only hours left in the organised labor’s 21-day ultimatum, the federal government said it is not worried about a possible shutdown of the economy.

According to The PUNCH, this is despite the fact that negotiations last Monday broke down because neither side could agree to the labour unions’ demands to keep the fuel subsidy.

“I don’t see any reason for concern. “We don’t have any fears about some of the things they (labour) put on the table and also the suggestions and the package of the federal government,” Minister of Labour Simon Lalong told State House Correspondents after a private meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja yesterday evening.

Lalong had met with the organised labour group in Abuja a few days earlier. There was no agreement reached because the Nigerian Labour Congress insisted the FG meet its demands before the September 1 deadline it had set.

The union had issued the 21-day deadline because of the delay in dispersing palliative care, warning that if its demands were not met, it might be forced to declare indefinite labour action.

The document claimed that the economy is prepared for a complete shutdown once the deadline on the ultimatum arrives on Friday.

After discussing the impending deadline for an indefinite strike with Shettima, the minister of labour responded, “As for me, I don’t think there is any problem. We have invested a great deal of time in the Nigerian labour force, and President Buhari has taken a strong stance in favour of the workers’ rights and economic well-being.

Because we are confident in our abilities, we avoided putting ourselves in a corner during many of our meetings with them. The best is yet to come, and we hope for it.

His response to the strike warnings was, “Don’t worry about that.” That’s why I referred to our dealings with them as “a friendly engagement.”

The former governor of Plateau State refused to answer direct questions about the strike’s start date, saying, “I don’t want to say that; I’m not the NLC’s President.”

Our reporters were unable to get a response from Joe Ajaero, national president of the NLC.

When our correspondent asked another Labour centre official, Hakeem Ambali, he also did not respond.

The National Labour Committee and the Trades Union Congress are requesting, among other things, that the minimum wage be raised and that palliative care be made available to workers in the public sector.

Despite the FG’s August deadline for concluding its promise to restructure the framework for engagement with organised Labour on palliatives, no progress has been made.