The meeting between the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) aimed at preventing an impending strike concluded on Monday without reaching a concrete resolution regarding the union’s demands.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, and Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, held discussions with NLC President Joe Ajaero and other leaders in Abuja in an effort to avert another industrial action. The meeting is expected to reconvene at a later date.
Meanwhile, Minister Lalong is scheduled to meet with the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in a separate session today.
The impasse arose following Lalong’s invitation to the NLC for talks, prompted by the union’s planned nationwide strike in response to the removal of fuel subsidies and the economic challenges facing the country. Earlier, the minister had invited both the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for discussions to prevent the two-day strike that took place on September 5 and 6, but only the TUC attended.
During Monday’s meeting, Minister Lalong pledged to collaborate with organized labor to address their demands fairly and equitably. He urged labor leaders to approach the discussions with realism and frankness, expressing optimism that the meeting would lead to a resolution in the national interest.
In response, NLC President Joe Ajaero expressed cautious optimism, stating that his team entered the meeting with mixed feelings, unsure whether tangible progress would result. He noted that previous similar meetings had failed to yield positive outcomes and highlighted that past strikes were driven by the frustrations of Nigerian workers due to the hardships resulting from the removal of fuel subsidies. Ajaero also condemned the invasion of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) office, where some leaders were arrested and detained, emphasizing that this incident alone provided sufficient reason for the NLC to proceed with their planned strike.
