Percy Onyeka
The leadership of organized labor has insisted that if the federal government did not address every concern it voiced, the significant steps it had intended to take following the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum would proceed as scheduled.
This is merely the federal government pleading with the two labor centers to rescind the strike notice they issued last Thursday due to what they claimed was the non-adoption of the 16-point agreement they reached during negotiations in October of last year.
Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, who made this plea at a meeting with the two leaderships of both Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), promised again that the government would resume payment of N35,000 wage award to workers.
It’s in reports that the federal government has only paid N35,000 wage award to workers twice since September 2023 when the payment was initiated as agreed by both parties – the development many workers had described as “unfair”.
Speaking before the meeting went into a closed-door, Onyejeocha explained that the government had stepped up efforts to complete the implementation of those agreements, adding that she convened the meeting in order to brief the two Labour centres on the progress of the implementation.
“It is true we entered into an agreement, but the government has shown good faith, and considering the urgency of the issue at hand, I called this meeting because dialogue has always been the best way out, and we are all for the well-being of our people.
“I am here to show good cause on why some agreement has not been met,” the minister told the gathering led by the NLC President, Joe Ajaero and his counterpart from TUC, Festus Osifo at the headquarters of ministry of Labour and Employment.
She noted that while the reaction of the labour organisations was not unwarranted in the face of government’s non-completion of the agreement, bearing in mind that some items in the agreement could only be achieved in stages.
She assured them of President Bola’s sincerity of purpose and unflinching dedication to the implementation of that agreement, adding that he would leave no stone unturned to satisfy the demands of the labour organisations.
However, NLC President Joe Ajaero ordered the Federal Government to make a commitment to ensure that the agreement be implemented in order to meet the 14-day ultimatum deadline, which began on February 9, 2024.
Ajaero emphasized that the Congress would always uphold its end of the bargain, provided that the federal government did the same. He said that organized labor had decided to stick to their ultimatum and that all parties to the agreement should make an effort to live up to expectations for the benefit of Nigerians and the government..
Techrectory with Agency Report
