The Federal Government and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) have reached an understanding that the government will have two weeks to resolve some of the TUC’s complaints.
A meeting between the TUC’s leadership, led by its President, Comrade Festus Osifo, and the Minister of Labor and Employment, Solomon Lalong, reportedly led to the agreement.
The following issues need to be rectified in the next two weeks:
pay increase for federal employees to offset the impact of increased poverty among them.
Workers in the public and commercial sectors who meet a particular threshold are free from paying taxes.
establishing the framework necessary to ensure the successful implementation of the palliatives proclaimed by the federal government for the states and the FCT.
describing how to get the N70 billion that has been suggested as funding for Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSME).
The meeting would reconvene for additional discussion after two weeks, the Minister announced. He continued by saying that the parties were aware that some of the problems needed to be resolved right away, while others would take a lot of time.
The TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo, said the two-week deadline was appropriate since it would allow the government enough time to fix the problems. He said that at the start of the conference, the TUC leadership had pushed for a one-week deadline for the resolution of the contentious problems, but had to change their minds after considering the limitations of the government.
The Minister had earlier urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to postpone its two-day warning strike that was scheduled to begin on September 5 because doing so would undermine the progress the government had already made in securing a better future for Nigerian citizens and workers.
He encouraged the NLC’s leadership to give the government some time to address the issues expressed in a comprehensive manner. The Minister reminded Nigerian employees that their support and understanding will never be taken for granted by the government.
The TUC has also urged its members to observe the law during the two-week period and maintain composure. The Congress declared that it will keep interacting with the administration to make sure that its demands were met.
In a news statement announcing the development, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture states:
POST RELEASE
TUC AND FG AGREE ON A TWO WEEK TIMEFRAME TO RESOLVE SOME LABOR ISSUES
The Federal Government and the Nigerian Trade Union Congress (TUC) have agreed to give the government two weeks to resolve some of the Congress’s complaints.
Solomon Lalong, the minister of labor and employment, made this announcement in Abuja following a meeting with the president of the Trade Union Congress and other top TUC officials.
The Minister called the conference in an effort to settle disagreements between the TUC and the Nigeria Labour Congress and to avoid an impending warning strike by organized labor.
The concerns that have a two-week deadline for settlement, according to Lalong, include tax exemption for a specific amount of workers in both the public and private sectors, as well as wage awards for federal civil servants to mitigate the impact of their rising poverty.
Other items on the two-week agenda include establishing the modalities for accessing the N70 billion proposed for the funding of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), among others, and putting in place the frameworks necessary to ensure effective implementation of the palliatives declared by the Federal Government for the states and the FCT.
After the two weeks, the meeting will resume for additional discussion, the minister announced. She also noted that the parties recognized that some of the issues were urgent while others would take a considerable amount of time to settle.
Lalong claims that during this two-week period of calm, the parties also agreed that there would be no strikes “while we are undertaking deliberations and also working towards attaining some of these objectives.”
The TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo, said the two-week deadline was appropriate since it would allow the government enough time to fix the problems.
The TUC leadership had first pushed for a one-week deadline for the resolution of the issues under contention, but had to change course after considering the limits placed on it by the government, he revealed, adding, “We also need to be pragmatic.”
According to Osifo, their demands, which were outlined in a communique earlier released by the Congress, include ending the standoff between the Lagos State Government and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), as well as increasing the amount designated for palliative care because the N5 billion allotted per state is insufficient to lessen Nigerians’ suffering.
The Minister had earlier urged the Nigeria Labour Congress to postpone its planned two-day warning strike scheduled for September 5 and 6, as such action would be detrimental to the progress the government had already made in securing a better future for Nigerian citizens and workers.
In order to address the issues mentioned comprehensively, he pleaded with the NLC leadership to give the government some time.
The Minister reminded Nigerian employees that their support and understanding will never be taken for granted by the government.
Director of Press and Public Relations Olajide Oshundun, September 5, 2023
