The Federal Government on Thursday told the organised labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC of Nigeria that the allegation that it doesn’t keep to it’s promises is not true, claiming it keeps to all its promises.
The government also told the two labour centers that it was not in the interest of anyone for them to embark on strike and appealed that they should come for a round table discussion in order to arrive at amicable resolutions to any differences.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the appeal while reacting to the threat by the organised labour to go on strike over the alleged government failure to honour agreements it entered into with the unions and the hardship people are passing through.
Recall that the NLC and TUC had issued 14 day nationwide strike notice to the federal government over the worsening suffering in the country and the non-implementation of 16-point agreement entered into in October 2, 2023.
The leadership of the two labour centers expressed sadness that despite efforts by the Organised Labour at ensuring industrial peace, the government appeared unperturbed over the mass suffering and hardship across the country.
But reacting to the threat to embark on strike, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris said, “Well, we appeal with labour to always see reason with the government. It is not in government’s interest for the labour to continue to go on strike.
“We appeal with labour, let them come again, around the table to continue to have engagements and conversations around whatever gray areas they think they have in some of these agreements that have already been signed.”
Reminded that labour accused the government of being in the habit of not keeping to agreements with unions, the Minister said, “No, I think government keeps its promises. If there are other things that they (NLC, TUC) think they are concerned about, I think that they will sit down with government and government is ever ready to listen to labour so that we can have an amicable resolution to all these.”
VAMGUARD
