The meeting between the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to prevent an impending strike action came to a conclusion on Monday without a firm answer to the requests of the union.
In an effort to prevent organised labour from starting new strike action, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, met with Joe Ajaero, the president of the NLC, and other leaders in Abuja.
The meeting is anticipated to go on later.
The minister is, however, also scheduled to meet with the TUC’s (Trade Union Congress) top brass today.
The impasse followed Lalong’s invitation to the NLC for a meeting in light of the union’s planned nationwide strike owing to the removal of fuel subsidies and the hardship in the country.
Earlier, the minister invited the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for talks to avert the two-day strike held between September 5 and 6.
However, “only the TUC showed up for the meeting,” the ministry added.
During Monday’s meeting, Lalong promised to partner with organised labour to address the demands of the labour unions in a just and balanced way.
He appealed to the labour leaders to be realistic and frank in the discussions.
The minister also expressed optimism that the meeting would lead to a resolution that is of national interest.
In his response, NLC President Joe Ajaero said his team was in the meeting with mixed feelings, to see whether “something will happen or not,” as many similar meetings in the past had failed to yield a positive response.
He also noted that the past strikes that the minister referred to were a result of the frustration Nigerian workers faced due to the effects of the hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidies.
Ajaero also noted that not one of the agreements with the FG had been addressed despite a series of meetings that had been held.
